With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
by Sawyer's Peace
Summary: Peter gets in over his head with the ferry incident and Ironman comes to the rescue. Peter is angry. Tony is furious. This is my take on what happens if Peter decides to keep his suit instead of relinquishing it to Tony. Irondad is not impressed. Complete here but storyline continues in "No Man is an Island"
1. Chapter 1

_**I just recently watched Spiderman: Homecoming with my kids. Yes, I know, I'm behind. My son said I needed to see it before we went to see Infinity War. I've watched IronMan and I have to say, I did not like the movies. I found Ironman to be cocky...among other things. I definitely did not want my kids to see him as a role model in any way. My opinion changed a little after seeing Spiderman: Homecoming. I have a whole new respect for Tony Stark. He has grown up.**_

 _ **My son, on the other hand, was irked with Spiderman. He could not believe that he would beg Tony to keep the suit. "If that were me, I'd have spun a web and took off," he said in complete annoyance. I chuckled to myself knowing my son is much more spirited. Peter's character in Spiderman: Homecoming is not someone who is naturally rebellious. My son may be a little more of a hothead. RIP me.**_

 ** _Anyway, it got me to thinking and I've written a little tale about what would have happened if Peter did take the notion to take off rather than relinquishing the suit. How would dad!Tony handle it? Hmmm...I wonder. What do you think?_**

 _ **Here is my take on it. Much of the content in this chapter is from the movie.**_

 _ ***warning* This story may contain parental discipline of a more hands-on nature.**_

 ** _******SM******_**

 **"I think you've done enough."**

Peter sat on the edge of the high rise building, his mentor's words repeatedly echoing in his head. He could still see the ferry from his vantage point. His stomach plummeted as he thought about what happened. Peter pulled his mask off despondently as he watched the aftermath unfold. How could he be so stupid thinking he could handle things on his own? Part of him blamed Mr. Stark. He tried to tell him but the stubborn man refused to listen to him. He never listened! Peter could still see Ironman in his mind's eye, repairing his mess and ignoring his pleas to help. Instinctively, Peter knew it was only one of Tony Starks' many suits. The man was a freakin' genius. He could remote control his suits from the comfort of his workshop without breaking a sweat. That ferry was just a drop in the bucket for Ironman to fix. Peter swung his legs back and forth mindlessly as he turned his face from the helicopters and rescue boats going to the passenger's rescue. He didn't want to think of the consequences of his actions. He'd rather just pretend it didn't happen.

Peter was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see the Iron suit approach until he heard his mentor's voice. "Previously on Peter screws the pooch," began the voice as the suit hovered in the air behind him.

Peter sighed refusing to look. The last thing he wanted to do was have a conversation with an empty suit. Although, his anger was mounting as he heard the man continue speaking.

"I tell you to stay away from this…but instead, you hack a multi-million dollar suit so you could sneak around behind my back doing the one thing I told you NOT to do!"

Peter swallowed, feeling more than a little guilty already. "Is everyone okay?"

The suit hovered in one spot. "No thanks to you." Tony's voice sounded pissed.

Peter felt his temper flare. He already felt responsible. He didn't need a guilt trip. Suddenly he didn't care what he said to his mentor. To hell with the self-important Tony Stark. This was his fault! Had he just listened to him, none of this would have happened.

"No thanks to me?" Peter stood to his feet and jumped off the ledge, going up close and personal to the suit. He hoped Mr. Stark would get a good look at his angry face because he was pissed too. "Those weapons were out there and I tried to tell you about it but you didn't listen." Peter pointed at the suit's mask incredulously. He kept walking closer as the suit landed on the top of the building in front of him. Peter didn't back down. He wasn't afraid of Tony Starks' stupid Ironman suit. The man didn't give a rat's pyjamas about him so why did he care what the man thought?

"None of this would've happened if you had just listened to me!"

As an afterthought, more to himself than to the suit, Peter muttered, "If you even cared, you'd actually be here."

To Peter's surprise, the suit opened and the Tony Stark exited the suit looking more than a little ticked off. Peter's pulse picked up in his chest and he took a step back. His jaw dropped in surprise and he had to admit, the pissed off look on Tony's face frightened him a little. Tony Stark was a formidable man on a good day.

Tony stepped out of the suit and sniffed, tilting his head a little. He strode towards Peter intimidatingly and Peter couldn't stop himself from stepping back further, swallowing hard.

"I did listen, kid. Who do you think called the FBI, huh?" commented his mentor icily continuing to step closer to Peter.

Peter's self-preservation took over, forcing him to continue walking backward as the millionaire walked forward. He gulped as his mind reeled at the deja vu moment. The man's tone sounded vaguely reminiscent of his Uncle Ben when Peter had screwed up. Peter didn't like how that made him feel. He was Spiderman for Pete's sake, not some stupid little kid.

"Do you know that I was the only one to believe in you? Everyone thought I was crazy to recruit a 14-year-old kid."

Without thinking, Peter corrected the furious man. "I'm fifteen."

Starks' eyes darkened dangerously. "NO! This is where you zip it, all right?" he said, his hand making the gesture ominously. Peter gulped nervously and stepped back again. "The adult is talking."

Peter's eyes widened in trepidation. Mr. Stark had gotten his attention. The last time Peter had seen an authority figure this angry with him, he had ended up not sitting comfortably for several hours afterward. His Uncle Ben had made it very clear that Peter would not usurp his authority without reaping the consequences. Peter shivered at the memory while keeping a sharp eye on his mentor.

"What if someone died tonight," continued Tony, pulling Peter back into the moment. "Different story, right? Because that's on you." Tony poked him sternly in the chest and Peter's pulse picked up. "And if you died?" Tony lifted his hands up in frustration. "I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience."

Peter bit his lip. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I understand…"

Tony shook his head. "Sorry doesn't cut it."

"I know," said Peter feeling desperate to make his mentor understand. "I…I just wanted to be like you," he finally said, surprising himself by how true the words were. He truly had wanted to be the hero Tony was but he'd failed miserably.

Tony looked away, his eyes taking in the helicopters in the distance. He paused for a moment taking in the kid's words. If he hadn't been so angry with the kid, he might have chosen his next words better.

"And I wanted you to be better."

There was no mistaking the pain that flashed in Peter's eyes. Tony's words had cut him to the core. His mentor had had high expectations for him and he'd let the man down. Peter looked away, not wanted to see the look of utter disappointment in his mentor's eyes. The penetrating look sliced through him making his stomach flip awkwardly.

"Okay, so this is not working out. It's clear to me that you are not responsible enough so I'm going to need the suit back."

Peter's eyes widened in disbelief. "For how long?"

"Forever," said Tony, his tone decisive.

Peter blinked. "No…"

"Yes, that's how it works."

"NO, no, please." Peter's was on the verge of panicking. He did not want to go back to using his own suit. Tony's creation was beyond all his expectations. He couldn't bear the thought of giving it back. He needed it. He was nothing without the suit.

Tony held out his hand impatiently. "Let's have it."

"Please, Mr. Stark," pleaded Peter. "Please don't take the suit. I need it. Spiderman needs it. I'm really sorry, and...you can umm put the tracker back in and fix the hacks I did, and I swear I won't mess with any of that stuff again. Please, please don't take the suit."

Tony shook his head and held his hand out expectantly. "This isn't up for discussion, kid. You blew it. Give me the suit. Now!" Tony's voice was firm.

Peter stepped back again shaking his head adamantly. "Please, Mr. Stark. Ground me…no patrolling at night…um extra homework…take my computer and my phone…no dessert for a month…" Peter was desperate now. Tony looked resolute and Peter knew he was losing the battle.

"You don't get it, do you, kid? You almost died tonight along with a whole boat full of innocent bystanders all because you didn't obey me and stay out of it like I told you to do. You lied to me, Peter, and took matters into your own hands. People could have died! Don't you get that?" Tony narrowed his eyes at Peter in amazement.

Peter licked his lips. "Please, Mr.' Stark, I'm sorry. I really am. I promise I will listen to you from now on just please don't take the suit. I'm begging you."

Tony crossed his arms and closed his eyes. He was quickly losing his temper with the kid. This conversation was over. His eyes were resolute when they opened once again. The kid would not win this.

"Give me the suit or I take the friggin thing, myself. I guarantee you will not enjoy it if I do." Tony allowed the threat to linger.

Peter's eyes grew very large and he backed up even further until he was on the ledge once again. Tears blurred his vision as he took in his mentor's angry demeanour. There was no way he would win against Ironman in an altercation. Peter dropped his gaze to the ground for a moment. He reached down and picked up his mask, pulling it over his face once again.

"Peter," said Tony in a threatening voice.

Peter held up his hand and shook his head. "No. You gave me this suit and you can't have it back. Go to hell, Mr. Stark." With those final words, Peter shot a web across to the next building and disappeared.

Tony blinked in disbelief. He could not believe the audacity of the kid. Part of him was impressed if he was honest with himself. He never knew the kid had it in him to stand up to him. Another part of him was amused. Amused that the cocky kid thought he could run away from him.

Tony suited up again and took off after the kid. Clearly, he needed to find another way to get through to the kid, and Tony had a feeling that Lil Spidey wasn't going to like the consequences of his little outburst. It was time to show the kid who was in charge.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hey, thanks for the reviews. I'm getting a kick out of writing this little tale. My son has been reading it and making hilarious comments.**_

 _ **Just a note to say, I'm not a father who believes in corporal punishment of real-life teenagers...umm, no, that's just a little over the top and out of my comfort zone, but I'm having fun playing with the characters and making my son squirm. It really is a joke between us but thought I'd share it on here. Glad to see there are so many who enjoy my little tale.**_

 _ **Cheers,**_

 _ **Sawyer.**_

Peter stuffed his plundered suit into his backpack as his mind wandered over recent events. He was trying to convince himself that he wasn't the biggest idiot on the planet for telling Tony Stark to go to hell. Habit brought him to his hiding spot where he stored his backpack. He went on autopilot as he quickly dressed in his street clothes and slung his bag onto his back.

"Now what, Genius?" he muttered out loud. "Do I just go home and have dinner with Aunt May like nothing happened?" Peter smacked himself in the forehead. He couldn't believe how much trouble he'd made for himself. Tony Stark knew where he lived. He knew where he went to school. "I am so screwed."

Peter stood in the remote alleyway frozen in place, completely chagrined. He honestly did not know what he was going to do next. He had no plan, and he was still so irritated that his mind wouldn't allow him to think clearly. He couldn't wrap his head around how unreasonable his mentor was being.

Peter began to pace becoming angrier as he thought about what happened on the ferry. None of what happened was his fault. How could Tony blame him? He tried to warn the man but Mr. All Important, self-involved Tony Stark couldn't make time to speak with him.

Peter was so deep in thought, he didn't notice when Tony landed in his suit and exited it directly behind him.

"So, what's the plan now, Spiderling?"

Peter spun around and stood face to face with his billionaire mentor.

Tony stepped closer into the lamplight so the kid could see his clenched jaw. The last thing Tony wanted to do was have a power struggle with a damned teenaged kid. Hell, he'd rather be getting a root canal than arguing with a hormonal adolescent.

"Where did you think you could go that I wouldn't find you, kid?"

Peter huffed. "Just go away. You're so damned good at ignoring me. Why don't we just go back to that, huh?"

Tony sniffed. "No can do, kid. Where's the suit?"

"Somewhere you'll never find it. Go away." Peter tightened his grip on his backpack self-consciously.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Hand over the bag, kid"

Peter stepped backward. "NO!"

Tony's hands went to his hips. "You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what? That you're a self-righteous idiot?"

Tony smirked. He was amused at the kid's new tenacity. It was cute… in a very annoying way.

"Why'd you mess with the suit?"

"How did you find me?" asked Peter, glaring at the man ignoring his question. Peter knew that he'd yanked out the tracker and left it in the hotel room. There was no way Tony could track his whereabouts any longer. He had no clue how the man had found him.

"You're kidding, right?" chuckled Tony incredulously. "You don't think I don't know every one of your hideouts? I've been tracking you day and night since the day I gave you the damned suit. You're a creature of habit, kid. In fact, Happy has managed to find about three of your abandoned backpacks full of clothes. You think your aunt is made of money, kid?"

Peter chewed his lip. It was true. He was forgetful sometimes. In the aftermath of his Spidey duties, he often misplaced his backpack and belongings. He had several overdue library books and a lost textbook as a result.

"Did he find my Chemistry book by chance?" asked Peter, forgetting himself.

Tony hands dropped to his side and he began to pace. "Do you get how expensive that suit's technology is? It's not a toy! You don't get to dismantle it like one of your Lego sets. There are safety protocols built into it to keep your skinny butt safe! That tracker…you know the one you stuck to the lamp in your hotel room…I installed it for a damned good reason. You put your life in danger by removing it. What the hell am I supposed to tell your aunt if you get yourself killed?"

"I never asked you to put all that technology into it…"

Tony stopped pacing and glared at him. "You're damned right you didn't and you want to know why? Because your 15 friggin years old. You think you're immortal."

Peter looked away. He wasn't used to being in this kind of trouble. His pulse was racing and his stomach ached from the tension. In the distance, a feral cat screeched and several dogs could be heard barking. Muffled voices could be heard coming from above them. It was getting darker and more shadows were forming around them. Peter felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was probably his Aunt May texting him wondering where he was. He was late for supper again with no good explanation he could give her.

"You lied to me, Peter. I asked you where you were and you said you were at school. Band practice, was it? That's where you damned well should have been. Skipping school to play Spidey wasn't part of our agreement. Playing superhero is something you do after school and on weekends…"

Peter's eyes narrowed. "I'm not playing a game!"

Tony stepped into his personal space. "You're damned right about that one! It's not a game. You should have been at school because that's where kids belong, and in case you forgot, you're still a kid. Kids stay in school and live to go to college. They don't swing from buildings on spider webs and they sure as hell don't go after supervillains by themselves." Tony stared him down sternly causing Peter to step back again. Tony Stark was not someone to be messed with when he was pissed.

"I seem to remember pulling your sorry ass out of a lake. Remember? Yah, you do," said Tony seeing the look of annoyance come across the kid's face. "I told you to back off then and to stick to small crime. You know like being a friendly neighbour spider boy? That kind of thing but did you listen? NO!"

Peter narrowed his eyes, defiance showing in every fibre of his being. "YOU didn't pull me out of that lake. Your lame ass suit did. You were too busy wining and dining at some fancy resort to give a crap about me and what I had to say."

Tony narrowed his eyes right back. The billionaire was becoming more and more irritated at the kid's attitude. Impressed on one level but definitely annoyed.

"I told you to stick to the smaller stuff and work your way up, kid, not track some dangerous criminals. You interfered with the freakin' FBI investigation that I set up because I did listen to you."

"How was I supposed to know?" screamed Peter. "It's not like you ever talk to me or tell me anything."

Tony took a deep breath. "Since when do I need your permission, Mr. Parker!"

Peter threw his hands up in the air. "You are so freakin' frustrating! Listen to yourself. If it wasn't for me, you'd have never known about those weapons!"

Tony poked his chest firmly. "Hundreds of people could have died today, Peter. I can't believe you can't get that through your thick teenage skull. You. Could. Have. Been. Killed!" Tony poked Peter for each staccato word. Peter stepped away until his back came up against a grimy wall.

Peter glared at his mentor, choice words growing momentum on his tongue.

"Hey, knock it off down there!" shouted a husky voice from above them. "Some of us are trying to eat. Just smack the mouthy kid already and let us eat in peace! You're giving us indigestion." The window above closed with an annoyed bang.

Tony eyed Peter for a moment allowing the alleyway to exist in silence. "The man's got a point, Pete. Let's take this conversation elsewhere, shall we?"

Tony turned his back to Peter and walked back towards his suit.

Peter huffed loudly. "Forget it. I'm finished talking. I'm going home."

Tony climbed into the iron suit and looked down at Peter. "Yah, kid, that ain't happening. This discussion isn't over by a long shot."

"Yes, it is!" shouted Peter turning and walking away from Tony.

The suit closed around Tony except for the mask. "Okay, have it your way. We'll go have a chat with your foxy Aunt May. I'm sure she'd love to hear about what happened today."

Peter froze mid-step. His aunt had no idea he was Spiderman and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he could. If she knew about it, she would flip out and probably forbid him from doing it.

Peter turned to look at Tony all suited up. "Please, Mr. Stark…I'm begging you not to do that."

Tony closed his mask, stepped forward and grabbed Peter securely in his arms. "Hang on tight, kid."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey All, thanks for all the interest in this story and for your reviews. I'm enjoying your comments and insights. I do not have a huge knowledge base of Ironman or Spiderman, so I may make some canon mistakes. Thanks to Phoenixhp5 for pointing out that Tony Stark is a billionaire. I'm just scribbling ideas down and writing whenever I have a few minutes to myself...I anticipate plenty of canon errors and mix-ups. Feel free to drop me a line if you see anything I should change... may not have time to do it right away but eventually.**_

 _ **Here is the next little blurb...I don't know who to feel sorry for...Tony or Peter.**_

 ** _Hope you enjoy._**

 ** _Cheers,_**

 ** _Sawyer._**

Ironman landed on the upper deck of the tower, gently set Peter to his feet and exited the suit. Peter took a minute to gain his equilibrium and Tony left him to it. The kid was used to sailing through the air on his webs; the little ride in Ironman's arms wouldn't have made too much difference. Tony strode inside and headed for the bar. He needed a drink to calm his nerves. He wasn't used to this parenting crap. The fact that he kept hearing his father's voice whenever he spoke to Peter did not impress him. Crap, when did he turn into his father?

Tony poured a drink and heard Peter walk into the room. Taking a long mouthful, Tony steeled himself for the next part of playing adult. He felt responsible for Peter. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere along the line, he'd adopted the damned kid. As long as the kid's guardian didn't know the whole truth, that made him responsible whether he liked it or not.

"Sit down kid. You and I need to get some things clear, but first things first, hand over the suit. Don't make me ask you again."

Peter clutched the bag closer and shook his head. "No." His voice wavered a little but his body language made it clear he wasn't going to back down anytime soon.

Tony sighed and set his drink down. "It's funny how you think this is up for debate. It's not. "

Peter fidgeted nervously.

"You've proven to me that you're not responsible enough to have that suit."

"Bullshit," whispered Peter.

Tony's jaw dropped. This was definitely a new side to Peter. The kid had grown some balls. Tony was impressed…pissed off but also impressed.

"I feel the need to point out the inappropriateness of your language, in Cap's honour of course."

A small smirk played on Peter's lips easing the tension a little. Tony was grateful for the reprieve. He wasn't used to being the bad guy.

"C'mon, kid, take a seat and let's talk."

Peter walked over to the nearest sofa and sat down still gripping his bag for dear life. The site was almost comical. Tony sat across from him, leaned back and rested his ankle on his opposite knee.

"So, as far as I can tell, you have one of two choices, kid."

Peter furrowed his brow but didn't say anything.

"The two of us can go and have a little tete-a-tete with Aunt May or you deal with me."

Peter's face paled significantly and he licked his lips. "Uh, can I have a drink of water?"

Tony rose to his feet and walked towards the bar. "So, what'll it be, kid?"

"A scotch on the rocks?" quipped Peter.

Tony chuckled, bringing a glass of water to Peter and handing it to him with a smile. "Funny kid."

Peter took the water and drained the whole glass. He was stalling for sure but he was also thirsty. He was always thirsty when he was nervous. And he also needed to use the washroom but he'd hold it for a while longer.

"Please, Mr. Stark, don't tell my Aunt May. She wouldn't understand. She already worries about me getting hurt or killed like my Uncle Ben. I'm all she's got left. If she found out about Spiderman, she'd flip out. I'm not kidding, and she'd forbid me from going out ever again. Please, you've got to understand how it is. Spiderman is who I am. I can't separate myself."

Tony sighed and sat down again. "Listen, kid, your aunt should know. You're a damned kid, for Pete's sake, and she's your guardian. She needs to know…"

"She wouldn't understand!" insisted Peter.

Tony sighed. He could appreciate where the kid was coming from. It was hard for Pepper to grasp sometimes too. Tony understood what Peter was saying better than anyone. He couldn't separate himself from Ironman either. Tony thought for a few minutes and made up his mind. If the kid was going to insist his aunt didn't know, then the rules were about to change dramatically. There was no way Peter getting hurt or killed was going to be on his conscience.

Tony sat forward and leaned his elbows on his knees. "Okay, kid, this is how things are going to play out from here on in. If you don't want Aunt May to know about this Spidey business then your butt belongs to me. Understand what I'm saying here?"

Peter gulped. "Yes, sir, Mr. Stark…ummm, I mean, no, sir…I mean…"

Tony chuckled and held out his hand. "We'll start with you giving me that damned suit back. You've shown me that you're not ready for that kind of technology yet."

Peter's face reddened and he held his bag tighter.

Tony groaned and grabbed the bag, snatching it from Peter's hands. Peter stood up indignantly and tried to grab it back. Tony held it away from him and unzipped it.

"Hey! You have no right."

"I have every right, Webster, so sit your ass down and listen up." Tony was more serious than Peter had ever seen him.

Peter huffed and crossed his arms. "You made it for me. It's mine!"

Tony lifted a brow as he tossed the suit onto the nearby chair. "I said sit!"

"No! I'm leaving. You have your stupid suit now leave me the hell alone!"

Peter began to walk towards the door but Tony reached and grabbed him by the forearm. Peter spun on his heel and yanked his arm out of Tony's grasp. Peter was strong. He didn't need an iron suit to defend himself. In reality, he could easily throw Tony Stark across a room with very little effort. His respect for Tony kept him from doing that but his anger was mounting. Tony was making him mad.

"Don't touch me!" he snapped. "You've got your suit back. How about we just go back to you ignoring me, okay?" Peter began walking away again.

Tony grabbed his arm again. "That's not gonna happen, Spider-boy. If your Aunt May doesn't know about this, then that makes me responsible for you."

Peter glared at him. "NO, it doesn't. I can take care of myself. I was Spiderman before I met you, and I will be Spiderman when you piss off!"

Tony's eyes darkened and before Peter realized what was happening, Tony spun him sideways and landed the mother of all smacks on his backside. Peter's eyes widened and his mouth gaped. His heart rate increased and his face reddened in embarrassment. The swat stung on impact but quickly faded away due to his accelerated healing. It wasn't the pain that caught his attention; it was the look on Tony's face. It made Peter stop in his tracks.

"You don't get to call the shots, Mr. Parker," said Tony in a dangerously quiet voice. He pointed his finger at Peter's face sternly. "There is no debate here. You're gonna sit your ass down and we're going to discuss how things are gonna go from now on. I'm finished with this adolescent attitude crap. You showed me you have balls and I'm impressed. Good job. Peter Parker has balls. Okay, we're done, now it's time to zip your lip."

Peter stood gaping at him and his hand went to his backside without thinking. He couldn't have been more shocked that Tony Stark had actually smacked him.

"Don't look so wounded, kid. You and I both know that swat hurt my hand more than it hurt you," said Tony massaging his hand and walking towards the bar again. He opened the mini-fridge and pulled out an ice pack. His gut instinct to haul the kid over his knee wasn't going to work. Smacking Peter was like smacking a friggin brick wall. "Now, I'm asking you to sit down so we can talk."

Peter sucked in his bottom lip and stood to stare at Tony. Tony clutched the ice pack and grimaced as he held it. Peter's stomach lurched as he slowly wandered over and sat down. Somewhere along the lines, the dynamics had changed between Tony and himself. Tony had gone from his mentor and friend to some kind of authority figure, and he felt trapped. If he didn't cooperate then Tony would tell his aunt. He was screwed either way.

"Please, Mr. Stark, please don't take back the suit. I'm nothing without that suit."

Tony set the ice pack down on the counter and strode across the room, towering over Peter ominously.

"If you're nothing without that suit, then you shouldn't have it at all!"

Tears flooded Peter's eyes. Tony's words stung. A lot.

Tony sighed loudly and sat down opposite Peter. "God, I sound like my dad." He ran a hand through his dark hair and stared into space.

Peter looked down at his hands, feeling lost. He wasn't sure what he should say to Tony. He'd lost the man's respect and trust, and he hated feeling that way. But, on the other hand, he felt like Tony had let him down too. Tony had led him to believe that he would be a more active part of his life after they returned from Germany. The man obviously had wanted Peter to just be a good little boy and stay under the radar so he could go about his normal life and not be bothered with him.

"So, what am I supposed to do with you now, kid?"

Peter shrugged but didn't make eye contact.

"I can't ground you. I can't take your phone away without your aunt knowing. I sure as hell can't spank you. I'd probably break every bone in my hand doing that. I'd have to wear my damned suit to make a dent in your stubborn backside…"

Peter's stomach sank further; listening to Tony Stark listing ways to punish him only served to make him feel worse.

Tony glanced at his watch. "You better give your aunt a call. Tell her where you are and that I want you to spend the night with me. Make up something about your internship. Use your imagination." Tony rose to his feet once more. "I need to attend to some business for an hour or so. Hang tight, help yourself to anything non-alcoholic in the fridge but don't you dare step a spider web out of this tower. Understand me?"

Peter swallowed and nodded. "Where's the washroom?" he managed in a small voice.

Tony grabbed the Spiderman suit. "First door down the hall on your left," he said and disappeared out the door leaving Peter alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony had spent countless hours tinkering, designing and inventing in his workshop through the years. It was therapy. He did it for amusement, he did it to take his mind off things he should be focussing on and, yes, sometimes he did it for vengeance. His workshop was his escape from reality. It was his world. Just him, Dum-E and U. And sometimes Pepper when she saw the need to drag him out of self-pity and back into reality. When he was in his workshop, he was in control. He was in his man cave. His space just happened to be a little more extravagant than the average man's man cave. Then again, Tony Stark tended to be a little more eccentric than the average man.

Right now he sat staring at the watch on his wrist, activating and deactivating the gauntlet. It was just a simple piece of wrist jewelry until he activated it and even after he'd activated it, it was only powered enough to do a few things…a flashbang or a sound wave created more to garner attention than to be a weapon. Tony planned to use it in a very different way to capture attention, namely the attention of a 15-year-old stubborn, web-slinging kid.

It had been painfully simple to alter. Tony couldn't believe what he was contemplating on doing. He'd spent the better half of an hour having an internal argument but in the end, as he massaged his still aching hand, he made his mind up. He just hoped he wasn't breaking some kind of moral code of ethics because his gut already ached enough. Instinctively, he knew he should call up the kid's aunt and let her deal with the delinquent spider. The trouble was Tony knew that the kid's aunt would never be able to keep him under control. It wasn't that Peter was a bad kid, he wasn't at all. He was a great kid, a polite kid, not to mention a brilliant kid but the point remained, he was a kid. He was a 15-year-old minor with superpowers and too many hormones running amuck. Peter Parker needed guidance, and preferable the guidance of a man, not an emotionally fraught wishy-washy aunt.

"Damn it," muttered Tony, deactivating the gauntlet once more. He needed to stop second-guessing himself and go to the kid before he lost his nerve.

Tony climbed the stairs slowly keeping his heart rate even. He didn't want the kid to see him as anything but calm, cool and collected. His mantra was never let them see you sweat. Kids could smell fear and they'd use it to their advantage. He should know. He'd been a master at manipulating his mother's emotions.

Tony reached a platform on an upper level and entered the elevator to the top floor where the penthouse of the tower was located. He knew Peter was still where he'd left him because FRIDAY would have told him otherwise. Tony hadn't worried about the kid taking off. One thing he knew about Peter is that for some strange reason, he respected Tony's authority. Knowing that just made him feel worse. Geez, why did people even have kids, anyway? The little monsters just needled their way under your skin and into your heart and then you felt obligated to protect them and keep them safe from their stupid, idiotic selves.

Entering the room silently, Tony wasn't noticed right away. The teenager sat still on the sofa where Tony had left him. Tony cleared his throat and Peter looked up in surprise immediately standing to his feet.

"Thought you had Spidey senses, kid."

Peter wiped at his eyes quickly but not before Tony noticed the tear tracks and the slight reddening of his cheeks.

"I do," mumbled the kid, almost defensively.

Tony walked in and sat down across from him. "Sit down, kid. We've both had some time to cool off so let's have a chat. Did you get a hold of your aunt?"

Peter sat and nodded, fidgeting with his hands. "Mr. Stark, are you really going to keep the suit forever? No second chances?"

Tony was poker-faced. "My gut says, you bet your ass I am," Tony held up a finger to keep Peter from saying anything stupid, "But my common sense tells me that taking the suit isn't going to stop you from doing something asinine anyway. No, taking the suit isn't going to resolve the underlying issues here, is it Underoos?"

Peter's face paled. He had nothing to say in return because Tony was correct. He had a suit, albeit, a really crappy suit but a suit none-the-less. Nothing was going to stop him from going out as Spiderman. Not even Ironman was going to stop him from being who he was.

"W-what issues, Mr. Stark. I don't understand," managed Peter.

Tony smirked in amusement. Peter was good when he was playing dumb.

"Okay, I'll play along," began Tony sitting up a little straighter. "Not so very long ago, Ironman pulled a naughty little spider out of the lake," Tony looked sharply at Peter. "Listen up, kiddies, this story is interesting. Ironman told that mischievous spiderling to stay out of the danger business and stick to being a friendly neighbourhood superhero. Spider-baby could save some grannies from pickpockets or rescue a cat or two from a tree but other than that, he was to keep his skinny little butt away from the really bad guys. This story sound vaguely familiar to you, Mr. Parker?"

Peter swallowed knowing it was best to keep his mouth shut at this point, instead he nodded.

"Good, we're on the same page. Well, apparently, for some unknown reason, our web-slinging friend decided it would be wise to go head to head with some really nasty supervillain on his own. Whilst doing that, he almost killed himself along with hundreds of others. As it is, he created thousands of dollars of damage to personal property, not to mention a ferry being split in half!"

"That weapon going off was not my fault. I tried to stop it!" insisted Peter, weakly attempting to defend himself.

Tony's eyes opened just a little wider and he clucked his tongue. "Uh… Uh…uh… not your turn to talk yet. My story isn't quite done yet."

Peter closed his mouth and looked away.

"Now, Spiderling has a foxy aunt named May. Lucky guy! Aunts didn't look like that in my day. Anyway, May is oblivious to this naughty spider's web-slinging adventures. And apparently, he wants to keep it that way. Aunt May is supposed to happily raise her devious nephew to adulthood blissfully unaware of the fact that he risks his life almost daily." Tony Stark laughed out loud at this point. "And the funny thing about this whole story is that the baby spider thinks he will actually get away with it."

Tears burned in Peter's eyes. Tony Stark's words were hitting home and he was feeling very guilty about deceiving his aunt. She deserved better than that.

"I don't want her to worry," whispered Peter.

Tony wagged his finger. "You see, on one hand, I do believe that. I do believe you genuinely care about her. But on the other, I know you are only saving your own skinny ass. You don't want her to know because you don't want to deal with her forbidding you to do it. You want to do what you want to do and screw everyone else."

Peter stood up. "That's not true!"

Tony crossed his legs calmly. "Sit down!"

Peter licked his dry lips and sighed in annoyance but sat down.

"I am prepared to help you keep this under wraps provided we come to a little understanding. Mr. Parker. You agree to a few things and we can make this work. You don't agree, and I am having a chat with your aunt. There is no third choice here."

Peter blinked. "Agree with what things?" His voice cracked.

Tony rose to his feet, walked over towards the large viewing window and stared out at the skyline. He stood there for several minutes before turning to face Peter with a stern look on his face. He held up a finger.

"Number one. Spiderman only goes out on evenings and weekends. School comes first. Ever superheroes need something to fall back on and you're too damned smart to squander a good education. I have contributed to an excellent scholar fund at MIT and it has your name on it when you graduate. Don't let me down, kid."

Peter didn't say anything but nodded.

Another finger went up to join the other. "Number Two. No going after supervillains with dangerous weapons by yourself. Leave that to the Avengers. You're not there yet, kid. Your suit has a babysitting protocol in it. I can see everything you can see. There is no way you can one-up me, Underoos, so don't even try. I'm serious, Pete. I'm not going to keep repeating myself here. You stick to the friendly neighbourhood kind of stuff. If you can do that, then Ironman and Spiderman can do some patrolling together once and while, and I'll feel out how you do with some bigger stuff. Once I can trust you with the little stuff, I will move you onto some bigger responsibilities. But you need to prove you are responsible enough! Great power comes with great responsibility, Pete. You get that right?"

Peter felt tears burn in the back of his eyes. His uncle had once said something similar to him, not in the same context, but still, the meaning was the same. Peter again nodded.

A third finger went up. "This last one you're not gonna like, kid. Not even a little. But it's all part of the same deal. You screw up the first two rules then you deal with me. Number three. You disobey me or try to one-up me or mess with your suit or just generally piss me off and I'm going to discipline you." Peter's eyes widened as he watched Tony tinker with the watch on his wrist. Before his eyes, it transformed into a smaller version on the ironman glove from Tony's suit. It didn't quite cover his entire hand as his fingers were still visible but it was most definitely made of the same stuff as the suit. "We both saw earlier that a smack from my hand only hurts me. And damn, kid, I don't know what you're made out of, but I think you got buns of steel under those jeans. My hand still aches from swatting you."

Peter couldn't stop the smile that came to his face.

"Yah, you laugh now because it's not going to lasting long," warned Tony and the smile melted away as fast as it came. "This gauntlet on my hand I guarantee you will feel, and I promise to use it on your errant little butt if you cross me again. You, my friend, are still a minor…a child and as long as your aunt doesn't know about this Spidey business, you're going to listen to me. Am I clear?"

Peter gulped and his line of vision went right to Tony's hand. The man was still holding it up, allowing Peter to get a good look at it. Peter didn't even want to imagine what a swat from that hand would feel like. Maybe it would hurt, maybe it wouldn't, but he wasn't sure he was willing to find out just how strong he really was. Tony could be totally bluffing him.

Tony took a few steps towards Peter, almost like he could read his mind. "Am I clear, Peter?"

"I…I…don't think that's legal, Mr. Stark…to, uh, hit minors that…uh…aren't related to you…and umm…my Aunt May…she…uh, well, I don't really want you to…and…that would probably hurt…so uh, yah, it's clear." Peter rambled quickly as his face went from pale to a dark red.

"I've done worse that's illegal, kid, and if this can keep you on the straight and narrow than I'm willing to risk it. If May finds out later and wants to sue my butt than I guess that's my problem but for now, that is the deal. Take it or leave it."

Peter fidgeted with his hands a little but remained quiet.

Tony walked towards him, deactivating the gauntlet. "I'll give you the evening to think it over, Pete, but I want you to know something. Regardless of what you decide, I'm still deciding if your reckless butt needs to meet the gauntlet over the whole ferry fiasco. And I'm pissed you messed with the suit. I trusted you, kid and that trust's been broken. I'm not sure how I'm going to deal with that yet."

Peter clenched his fists, not really liking the sound of the threat.

Tony pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled it. "Yo, Hap, Pete is spending the night. Can you toss another burger on the grill and show him to his room?"

Peter could hear Happy faintly in the background but Tony hung up on him.

"I have some work to do, kid. I'll see you in the morning."


	5. Chapter 5

_**It's been a crazy weekend...there was a huge fire down the road from my house...the neighbours house went up and it took us almost 20 hours to put it out...and when we thought it was out, it started burning again! We got the fire out and then the guy's car went up in flames. INSANE!**_

 ** _Thanks for the reviews. Hope you enjoy the next chapter._**

Peter sat on the bed in the room he'd been shown. Looking around, he couldn't help but notice that the room was somehow meant for him. It was decorated like any teen boy's dream room complete with a big screen television and gaming system, shelves full of books on his interest level and a bunch of brand new Lego sets he'd never seen before. If it had been under other circumstances, Peter would have dived into the sets and been lost in paradise for many hours.

But it wasn't a good situation at all.

Peter didn't even know how long he'd been sitting thinking and staring into space after Happy had brought him supper. Tony's idea of throwing a burger on the grill had actually meant sirloin steak, maple pecan sweet potatoes and buttery vegetables complete with a large slice of apple pie for dessert. Peter couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten such a feast, not that his Aunt May wasn't a good cook; she was. But normally during the school week, they ate simple meals like homemade mac and cheese or something like that. Sirloin steak sure beat Mac and cheese any day. Peter, despite being upset, managed to polish off the entire meal. Ever since he'd become Spiderman, his appetite was ferocious. He could pretty much eat all the time.

Laying back on the bed and putting his hands behind his head, Peter stared at the ceiling. A full stomach left him with nothing to do but think about the day and what had gotten him to where he was now. He was staying with Tony at Stark Towers, in the man's penthouse, in what looked like his own room created for him by Mr. Stark himself and currently, in his mentor's eyes, his name was pretty much mud. Tony Stark had actually threatened to smack him like some dumb little kid, and the man had said clear as day that he'd lost trust in him. Tears burned in Peter's eyes as he remembered the words. He'd really screwed up this time. Normally, he'd be more remorseful but a small part of him was angry with the billionaire inventor too, only Peter was too afraid to speak up for himself when Tony was so pissed. It seemed like the angrier the man was, the more biting the sarcasm was that came from him. Peter wasn't a huge fan of the sarcasm.

Just then his phone sounded in his pocket. Peter pulled it out to see it was Ned texting him.

Peter sat up and pushed his back to the wall so he could lean against it. He opened the text conversation and stared at it. What was he going to say to Ned anyway?

 _Ned: Dude, we're supposed to be working on our science experiment. I showed up at your apartment, and your aunt said you're staying the night at Stark Tower. Is that true?_

 _Peter: It's true._

 _Ned: Dude!_

Peter felt a smirk come to his face. He could just see his best friend since kindergarten's face in his mind's eye. Ned was always over-animated.

 _Peter: Did you see the story about the Ferry on the news?_

 _Ned: Yes! What happened, Pete? The guy on the news said Spiderman and Ironman saved all those people. That's awesome, man! Why didn't you tell me about it? And why are you at Stark Tower? What's going on?_

 _Peter: It's complicated, Ned, and I can't really get into it right now. I'll call you tomorrow and I promise I'll tell you all about it, okay?_

Peter waited for Ned's response and wasn't surprised when his cell phone rang in his hands. Peter sighed. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk to his friend. He did. He just didn't know how to wrap his head around everything yet so there was no way he could explain the situation to Ned yet. Peter declined the call and continued to text _. I can't talk right now, Ned. Mr. Stark and I are kinda in the middle of something. I'll call you tomorrow. I promise._ It wasn't a complete lie. They were in the middle of something, just right now Peter had been left on his own to stew in his decision-making endeavours. He didn't exactly know why he needed so much time but apparently Mr. Stark liked to drag out the evitable.

 _Ned: Okay, Peter, but you better call me first thing tomorrow. I'm dying here._

Peter smiled. His friend was ever the drama major.

 _Peter: I will. Chill, dude. Talk to you later._

 _Ned: Later._

Peter set his phone on do not disturb. The last thing he needed was anyone else trying to call him tonight. He already had enough on his plate. He stood up and set his phone on the side table. He opened the dresser to find some new pyjamas in his size. Peter fingered them gingerly. The whole thing was just so bizarre. Had Mr. Stark intended to invite him here for the night on another occasion? He thought the man didn't want to have anything to do with him yet this room said otherwise. It would have taken planning and time to make him his own space. And Peter thought the tower was for sale anyway. Hadn't Mr. Stark said he and the Avengers were moving to a bigger facility? The compound, he'd called it?

"Jeepers, what am I supposed to do all night?" he mumbled to himself.

A computerized voice from above him spoke just then. "Sleep would probably be the best idea, Mr. Parker."

Peter's eyes widened and he spun around looking to see where the voice was coming from.

"Who's there?" asked Peter, feeling somewhat confused.

"I'm sorry to frighten you, Mr. Parker. My name is FRIDAY. I am Mr. Stark's computer interface system."

Peter blinked. He shouldn't have been surprised that Tony Stark had a computer system networked throughout his penthouse. It was just something Tony would have done.

"Where is Mr. Stark?"

"Currently, he is in his workshop, Mr. Parker. Do you need him?"

Peter shook his head. "NO, no, that's okay. I just wondered, is all."

"Mr. Stark said to let you know that you can contact me anytime should you need him."

Peter nodded in response, not really thinking that the computer system wouldn't be able to read his body language. He began to pace the room. What was he supposed to do now? Maybe he should just leave and go home. Mr. Stark wouldn't even know he was gone, and he would sleep better in his own bed. No, that probably wouldn't be the best idea. More than anything he didn't want his aunt to find out about him being Spiderman. Mr. Stark had made it very clear that he would inform his aunt if he didn't agree with his terms.

Peter picked up the pillow on the bed and fired it at the wall. It wasn't fair that Stark was sticking his nose in his business. He'd been doing fine on his own before Stark found his video on YouTube. Apparently, there was no way he could bullshit a bullshitter, or so the man had said when he brought him to Germany. The man had needed his help back then or he wouldn't have taken him. Why was the billionaire being so parental now all of a sudden? He didn't seem to care so much last time. What had changed?

Peter kicked at the wall indignantly. He felt like he was trapped with nowhere to turn. "This is crap!" The wall dented and some of the drywall gave way to his foot, leaving a hole when he pulled it away. Peter's eyes widened at the damage.

"Damn it!" he muttered, stooping to look at the hole he'd left. He always forgot how strong he was since he'd received his enhanced abilities. Kicking the wall should have hurt his foot, not ruined the wall. He groaned loudly. Why did his life have to be so complicated? Somehow he didn't think Mr. Stark was going to be very impressed with the damage.

"FRIDAY, what's Mr. Stark doing now?" asked Peter, nervously.

"Mr. Stark is still in his workshop. He asked me to tell you to go to sleep. It's past your bedtime."

Peter groaned again. There was no way he could be expected to sleep with this stuff hanging over his head.

"Tell him I will when I'm good and ready!" snapped Peter, feeling grouchy at being told what to do. It wasn't even past 11 yet and the next day was Saturday. He often stayed up and watched movies with his Aunt May on Friday nights. Going to bed at 11 was almost an insult.

"Mr. Stark said he would be willing to help you get ready for bed if you would like, Mr. Parker?"

Peter's eyes widened. Wait! What? Help him get ready for bed? What was that even supposed to mean?

"NO! Tell him I'm fine."

"Very well, Mr. Parker."

"Call me Peter, FRIDAY. Mr. Parker sounds like an old man's name."

"Very well, Peter."

Peter pulled out the pyjamas and put them on much to his annoyance. He couldn't sleep in his jeans so he might as well get comfortable, although, had he been home he would have just as well slept in his boxers. Pyjamas were for little kids, not teenage superheroes. Peter wandered over to the large window in his room and looked out over the skyline. How did people even see anything from up here? From his window at home, he could see if someone needed his help. Of course, he knew it wouldn't take much with his webs to get down to ground level. That's where he really should be. People needed Spiderman. Friday nights were always high crime nights. It was totally retarded that he was stuck here waiting to talk to Tony in the morning. They could talk now and then Peter could go out and do what he did best.

But just what was he going to say? Was he going to agree to Tony's terms? Did he have any other choice? And was the man going to keep the suit forever if he refused his terms? Peter found he had more questions than answers.

"FRIDAY, could you tell Mr. Stark I'm ready to talk to him now?"

Peter waited for a response but none came. Had the AI gone offline for the night? Did computer system interfaces go offline by themselves?

"Mr. Stark said you are to go to sleep, and he will talk with you in the morning."

Peter sighed. "That's so bogus! I'm ready to talk now!" insisted Peter. Was he really, though? What was he going to say? "Tell him I want to talk now, FRIDAY!"

"Very well, Peter."

Peter stood up and wandered towards the door exiting his room. If Mr. Stark wasn't going to come to him, he'd do some searching around and find the man on his own. The Stark tower was huge but the multi-billion dollar workshop couldn't be that hard to find. Peter always secretly wanted to see what it looked like anyway. Leaving his room, he wandered down the hallway towards the upper floor elevators. He pushing the button and waited for the elevator.

"Mr. Stark insists you retire for the evening, Peter. He is busy in his workshop and does not wish to be disturbed."

"Never mind, FRIDAY; if he won't come to me, I'll look for him. What level is Mr. Stark's workshop located on?"

"The lower level, sir, but I must inform him of your presence."

The elevator came and Peter entered it still dressed in his new pyjamas. "No, FRIDAY, I would like it to be a surprise. Please don't tell him."

"Very well, Peter."

SP-IM-SP-IM-SP—IM

Tony rolled from underneath one of his old junk heaps in his workshop. As much as he liked new toys, he enjoyed his old toys just as much. He'd been tinkering around with an old '69 charger for a while now. He wasn't sure what he was going to do with it but he enjoyed the nostalgia that it brought him. Tony rose to his feet and wiped his hands off on a rag he kept in his back pocket. His mind would not rest this evening. His thoughts kept coming back to Peter. What was he going to do with the kid? Was it even ethical on his part to not inform his legal guardian of his activities? Tony didn't have a problem with putting the kid under his wing, but he just wasn't sure how much of a pain in the ass the kid was going to be. He hadn't even had time to discuss matters with Pepper. She usually was the voice of reason but she was away on business and wouldn't be back until the following week. Somehow, Tony was going to have to figure this one out on his own.

Tony walked over to the mini-fridge and grabbed out a bottle of water. He wanted to stay stone cold sober tonight as he deliberated how he was going to handle tomorrow. He'd made up his mind about a few things but as time went on, he waivered too. He still didn't know why people chose to have kids when they had to do such dreadful things as discipline. The fun and games were alright but dealing with the disobedience? Not so fun!

"How's the kid doing, FRIDAY?" asked Tony for the fifth time in the past hour. FRIDAY was able to monitor Peter's activities and listen in on what he was doing. She wasn't so much a snoop as a good babysitter. "Has he fallen asleep yet?"

"Peter is not asleep yet, Mr. Stark."

Tony frowned as he looked at his watch. It was nearly 11:30. Weren't kids supposed to be asleep this time of night? Didn't they need like 10 hours of sleep or something to help them grow?

"Why isn't he sleeping, FRIDAY?" he felt compelled to ask. "Is he sick or something?"

An odd noise from outside his glassed-in workshop captured his attention and he soon understood why Peter Parker wasn't sleeping. Coming down the steps looking a little sheepish was the teenager himself. The kid stopped when he reached the foot of the steps and stopped cold. The fifteen-year old's mouth dropped open and he stood to stare in complete wonderment as his eyes feasted on the billionaire's magnificent workshop. Tony sighed loudly in exasperation as he quickly swept away all his open computer holograms. The kid was going to drive him into an early grave if he didn't learn to follow instructions and respect his wishes.

Tony walked over to the glass doors and pushed a code to allow Peter entrance into the room. As Peter walked in, the boy's eyes drank up his surroundings, all but forgetting about why he'd come down to see Tony in the first place.

"W-wow, Mr. Stark! This place is unbelievable!" stammered Peter, walking around and taking in everything in complete awe.

Tony's hands went to his hips as he walked behind Peter. The kid just kept spinning in circles as he took in everything in the workshop. Tony didn't know if he should break the trance the kid was in or not. It was almost amusing to watch. Tony felt a tinge of regret that he hadn't invited the kid before, under different circumstances. The Stark Internship had been a ruse for the kid's aunt but the truth was, the kid was brilliant and Peter could probably learn a lot from Tony.

"I think I've figured out what the problem is, Pete," said Tony suddenly, bringing Peter's trance to an end causing the teenager to spin on his heel and turn and face Tony. "You are physically incapable of following directions."

Peter blinked.

Tony walked towards him and stopped directly in front of him invading the kid's personal bubble. He stared at the teenager long and hard, enough so that the boy self-consciously swallowed and took a step backward.

"FRIDAY, did I not ask Peter to retire for the evening?"

"Yes, Mr. Stark, you did ask Mr. Parker to retire for the evening."

"I thought so but it was worth asking just in case, for some reason, I may have been imagined it."

Peter licked his dry lips. "I-I'm ready to talk now, Mr. Stark."

Tony scratched the side of his head. "Well, I'm finished talking, kid. I have talked myself blue in the face tonight and wanted some time to cool off."

Peter looked away, looking more uncertain than when he had first entered the room.

"I…uh…well, I just wanted to tell you that…umm…not that I like the whole idea but since you kinda…I actually don't think my aunt would approve…umm, but I know she wouldn't approve of me being Spiderman either…and so, yah, I guess I agree…that is, I accept your rules, Mr. Stark only maybe you won't use that gauntlet contraption because….well…er…it kinda freaks me out, sir."

Tony crossed his arms as he listened to the kid ramble and trip over his words. Tony wasn't sure what to make out of what he said. Between the rambling, shaking and cracks in the kid's voice, it was hard to discern.

"You seriously need to learn to speak English, Kid. Can you repeat that but a lot slower and coherently?"

"It's a deal, Mr. Stark. I will stick to your rules if you promise me not to tell my Aunt May."

Tony nodded. "Alright." He held out his hand to his young protégé. "Shall we shake on it?"

Peter reached out and firmly shook Tony's hand, a small smile touching his lips.

"Okay, now that that is over, how about you sit down on the sofa over there and the two of us with come to an agreement on how I should punish you."


	6. Chapter 6

Peter's eyes grew as large as saucers as he froze in place. "P-punish?" he stammered.

Tony casually slung an arm over the teenager's shoulder and bodily led him over to the nearby sofa. Peter didn't put up much of a fight but continued staring at Tony like a deer caught in headlights. Tony gave him a little push and the kid plopped down on the sofa like a dead weight.

"You pulled the tracker out of the suit, Pete. You messed around with the suit's capabilities and you lied to me! If you think those things are okay, you're wrong!" Tony stood over the boy, being intimidating very much on purpose. Tony was desperate to make a huge impression on the youngster now so they would never find themselves in this position again.

Peter sat staring up at him but remained quiet.

"Don't look so shell-shocked, kid. You're telling me your aunt doesn't punish you when you screw up?"

Peter blinked. "Uh, well, yah, sure, she does but…like she grounds me or uh… gives me extra chores or something. S-she doesn't like to own anything like…uh…that…" whispered Peter, eying Tony's wrist watch.

Tony followed the kid's line of sight and saw what Peter was most worried about. Tony bit back a smirk and tucked away from the knowledge for later. He found it very interesting to note that Peter seemed to be most worried about him using the gauntlet. Tony had no idea if that threat would ever see the light of day but if the promise worked, he was willing to go with it. The less the kid knew the better and a small part of Tony didn't figure it would make much of an impact anyway. Having it hover in the air like a big scary monster suited Tony better. Tony had seen Peter being tossed around like a ragdoll, thrown into buildings and slammed to the ground; a few swats from his hand paled in comparison. Being afraid of the unknown was a heavy motivator.

"Well, I don't think grounding would work since you don't live with me. I can't take your cell phone away because while I can still track you, your aunt couldn't. The whole idea is to make sure your aunt doesn't find out and that you stay out of danger. Giving you extra chores seems like a waste of time. So, I'm at a loss here, kid, and running out of ideas."

Peter's face paled and he swallowed hard. "I'm s-sorry, Mr. Stark. Please believe me. I just wanted to try and handle things on my own. I admit when I found out about the training wheels application on the suit, I was…"

"How'd you discover that?"

"Uh, well, me and Ned were looking for the tracker to remove it because Happy called and reamed me out for leaving town for the decathlon and…"

"Happy was keeping an eye on you for your own safety, kid. I've been a little busy with figuring out the move of the Avengers…"

Peter fidgeted. "I know, Mr. Stark, it's just when I found out I was being tracked, I felt like it was an invasion of my privacy and uh…"

"Look, Pete, that suit is very technologically advanced. It would be negligent of me to give it to you and just let you have at it."

Peter stood to his feet making Tony step back. "But I just thought it was just a cool suit. How was I to know you made it into some kind of Spiderman weapon? I'm not a kid, Mr. Stark. You should have warned me. I was Spiderman before you met me, remember?" Peter's voice was not disrespectful, just matter of fact.

Tony's hands clenched at his sides. "Peter, that's what you don't get. You are still a kid. Stop being in such a hurry to grow up! Enjoy the ride."

Peter sighed and sat back down. "Easy for you to say."

Tony took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "Well, maybe we both made some mistakes. But you were never supposed to know about the suits perks until you were ready. Probably not even until you were eighteen and an adult. In time, I planned to train you myself. That's why I needed you to stick low to the ground and help out the little guy for a while."

Peter could not keep the look of surprise from his face. Mr. Stark had planned to train him? The man had practically ignored him for two months straight. It was very hard for Peter to believe.

"You once said you can't bullshit a bullshitter, Mr. Stark. I call bullshit."

Tony laughed out loud. "Man, if only Cap was here, kid. He'd so appreciate this moment."

Peter did not see the amusement at all.

Tony tossed his hands up in the air in frustration. "You seriously don't get it, do you?" Tony began to pace in front of Peter. "It must be a kid thing. It has to be a kid thing." Tony stopped and pointed at Peter. "Life doesn't revolve around you, Pete. You're a kid. Your job is to go to school, get good grades, kiss a girl or two and graduate. Leave the rest to the adults. No one asked you to save the world. It's great that you have that passion but, for Pete's sake, you are a kid. It's not your job yet."

"It is my job, Mr. Stark! I'm ready! I have been given enhanced abilities. It would be wrong to just sit on them when people need me."

Tony pointed a finger at Peter. "NO, kid! You've proven that you're not ready. You're impulsive and lack self-control. You have no idea how to handle the big stuff yet but that's okay, you're not supposed to. You're young and you can be trained but the first thing you need to realise is that you are a damned kid, not an adult. It's your time to learn about life. Are you listening to me?"

Peter groaned. "I can do it, Mr. Stark!"

Tony leaned in close, resting one arm on the side of the sofa. "No. Just accept the word, Mr. Parker. You and I will get along a lot better if you just heed it from here on in."

Peter crossed his arms in a huff.

Tony straightened up. He looked at the stubborn kid in front of him. It was becoming obvious to him that the kid wasn't going to be easy to tame. Peter had his own mind.

"Geez, kid. How does your aunt handle your obstinacy?"

"How do the rest of the Avengers handle yours?" Peter snapped.

Tony lifted a brow. Peter Parker surprised him sometimes. He liked the kid's tenacity. He was going to go places in life with his determination. Peter wasn't going to let people push him around but he was also endearing and likeable. It was a nice mix, but it also was a pain in Tony's side. Peter needed to learn that he was a kid and not the one in charge. Tony had no doubt that one day the kid would very easily slide into a position of leadership but now wasn't that time. Now, he needed to learn his place.

"I'll let that one slide, Mr. Parker."

Peter was on his feet right then. "Don't do me any favours!"

Tony's eyes darkened. "You keep trying to pick a fight with me tonight, don't you? What's the deal? Are you pissed at me or just really want a showdown between us?"

Peter narrowed his eyes and his jaw visibly clenched. "For two months, you've ignored me. I've been web-slinging all over Queens. I've checked in with Happy every night and reported everything to him. Not a peep from him or you. Hell, Happy doesn't even text back and you, well, YOU didn't even give me your contact information! How the hell could I have told you anything, huh? You obviously didn't care a rat's ass about me. Why the change of heart?"

"Did Happy answer when you called?" demanded Tony, growing bored with the kid's attitude.

"Well, yah, but I only called if it was important stuff."

"And?" Tony prodded, still looking for the reason why Peter was so angry.

Peter stammered a little, looked flustered but then closed his mouth. He didn't have anything to say in response to that.

"I told you that I was busy, kid. That wasn't a lie. DO you have any idea how complicated things are with the Slovakian accords and the split up of the Avengers? Things are messed up, Peter. I've got a lot of my plate right now and listening to you tell me about rescuing treed cats is just not on my radar right now. I'm sorry if that hurt your feelings."

Peter blinked back tears, his emotions more close to the surface than he realised. "You came to me, Mr. Stark! You involved me. I never asked for it…"

Tony sighed. "I know that, kid, and that's why I let you keep the suit. It was a perk for helping us. I couldn't discuss all the ins and outs just then and I still can't. Everything is so convoluted and top secret…"

Peter shook his head. "Bullshit!"

Tony shook his head. "Alright. Enough. I'm not going to try and convince you of anything. I'm just going to tell you how it is. I'm keeping the suit for a month. I'm going use that time to fix it and make it Ned-proof, and you, my fine Spiderling are grounded from going out as Spiderman until I give you back the suit. Understood?"

"What? No friggin way! You can't do that!"

Tony furrowed his brows, feeling angry this time. "Yes. I. can. Just try and cross me on this, Pete. You don't want me to tell your aunt and I won't. That won't change unless we agree otherwise, however, that means I am your Spiderling guardian and what I say goes. I am not debating with you here. This is an order. If you can't abide by it, I will discipline you like the kid you are."

Peter took a few steps backward away from Tony. His face was red but he wasn't going to back down. Spiderman was part of who he was and no one was going to prevent him from doing what he felt was right. He had his convictions.

"Fine, keep the stupid suit but that won't stop me from being Spiderman. I have my own suit!"

"Those pyjamas? That's no suit, kiddo. That's playing dress up. It's a dangerous job and without the right equipment, you could get seriously hurt so no, you are not going out as Spiderman for an entire month. End of story."

Peter shook his head again. "You aren't my father! I don't have to listen to you!"

Tony stepped forward, releasing the gauntlet on his wristwatch. He grabbed Peter firmly by the wrist and pulled him close. Peter, although angry, was not able to pull away. Tony's iron man gauntlet was strong and there was no way Peter could escape it. Peter was strong but he was still a child.

"Yes, you do need to listen to me or there will be consequences. Care to test me on that, my web-slinging friend?"

Peter could feel Tony's breath on his face. Tony's brown eyes were dangerously darkened and Peter swallowed hard. A part of the teenager was debating just how strong he really was. Could Spiderman take on Ironman with only one wrist gauntlet? Tony Stark did not have enhanced abilities. He was just a normal man. Peter was strong. He didn't even need his suit to give him strength. Not only was he strong, but he was fast too.

"Let me go," dared Peter, his heart racing in his chest.

Tony blinked, almost bewildered by Peter's resolve in the moment. "You really need a show of authority to get through to you? Are you that thick headed?" threatened Tony, forcing himself to stay calm under the challenge.

Peter struggled under Tony's tight grasp on his wrist. "I said let me go, damn it!"

Tony clenched his jaw and released Peter's wrist only to spin him sideways and land a superhuman swat on the kid's backside. Tony knew it was hard so he braced the kid's waist with his other hand so he wouldn't go flying across the room. Tony spun the boy around and stuck a finger in his face.

"Spiderman is grounded. No exceptions!"

Tony stared at Peter sternly, looking for the impact, if any, that he had made on the kid. Peter's eyes were wide and Tony could see the kid working hard to blink back tears. Perhaps, the gauntlet did have the power to make an impact on the kid. Tony's heart rate increased. Maybe it had too much power. Maybe he'd injured the boy or left a bruise. He'd walloped him with a good deal of force.

Peter licked his lips, fiercely blinking back tears. "Stop treating me like a stupid kid!" he shouted and ran towards the glass doors to escape up the stairs. He stopped when he reached them and yanked on the door. Tony watched feeling guilty.

"You can't get out without the code, Pete."

Peter stood at the doors, not looking at Tony. His hands were trembling and he felt trapped.

Tony walked towards him and tried to place a hand on his shoulders, but Peter pulled away.

"Did I hurt you, Peter?" Tony felt guilt pinch his gut, second-guessing the gauntlet. He had no clue how much force it held behind it.

Peter stood quietly but still trembling.

"Just leave me the hell alone, alright? Let me go! I hate you!"


	7. Chapter 7

Peter held his hands up to keep Tony at a distance. He was vacillating between anger at what happened and embarrassment at having overreacted. Tony had caught him off guard. The swat had stung a lot more than he thought possible, but it had also faded just as quick. He had his accelerated healing to thanks for that, but he was mortified that Tony had felt justified to smack him hard enough to make it hurt. He was also insulted that his mentor, the man he admired so much, had felt it necessary at all. He wasn't a little kid, and he hadn't said anything so disrespectful to have warranted that kind of reaction. Or he didn't think he did. Peter turned and faced Tony having been able to blink back the tears threatening to fall down his cheeks. His face was burning in humiliation.

"You alright, kid?" Tony looked apologetic and that made Peter feel even worse.

More tears blurred his vision and Peter turned to face the glass doors again. "I'd like to go to my room, Mr. Stark," he whispered.

"Peter, did I hurt you?" Tony placed a hand on his shoulder again.

Peter swallowed the lump in his throat. "No."

Tony turned him around and looked intently into his face. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that. The gauntlet was supposed to be an empty threat, but I've got to tell you, Pete, you're really pushing my buttons. I consider myself a pretty chill guy but your attitude is over the top."

Peter kept blinking losing the battle of the tears as several ran down his cheeks. He quickly brushed them away. Hearing Tony apologise made him feel guilty and he didn't like it.

"Let's finish discussing this and call it a day. I think both of us are tired."

Tony nodded in the direction of the sofa but Peter shook his head.

"There's nothing else to talk about. Can't I just leave?"

Tony shook his head and wandered over to the sofa, sitting down. "No, not until we come to an understanding."

Peter took a deep breath. His temper was flaring again. He needed to get some space or he was going to lose it. Why couldn't Tony get that? Peter leaned against the glass and cross his arms.

"Just talk," said Peter, his voice tight.

Tony sighed. "Okay. Have it your way. Do you understand what I said about Spiderman being grounded?"

Peter narrowed his eyes a little but nodded. "Yes."

"No going out and playing superhero for a month. If you can abide by my rules then I'll return the suit and we'll discuss more guidelines then, okay."

"Fine, whatever." Peter stared at the ground refusing to look at the billionaire.

Tony lifted a brow. "Any questions for me?"

Peter shook his head. "No, can I go?"

Tony heaved a sigh and stood to his feet, walking over and standing in front of Peter. "Pete, are you really okay? I didn't injure you, did I? I only wanted to get your attention, not hurt you." The man's voice was filled with compassion.

Peter's eyes flared. "What did you think would happen if you hit me with your friggin iron glove? Did you think it would tickle?" He was angry but his voice sounded more hurt than mad.

"No, I figured it would sting. I wanted it to make an impression. You were way out of line, and I wanted it to stop."

Peter rolled his eyes. "Yah, whatever. You win. Can I go now?"

Tony stared at him for several long moments before walking to the glass doors and inputting the code. He opened the door and pointed up the stairs.

"You're free to go as long as we understand one another."

Peter stood still looking at his escape but he didn't move. His heart pounded in his chest. This wasn't how he wanted to leave things. He only wanted to make his mentor proud. He didn't want to be angry and he didn't want the billionaire angry with him either. Damn it, how did they end up here? Why couldn't he just be really interning for the man?

"So, this is it, then?" began Peter as he went out the door and stood on the bottom of the step.

Tony furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?" He leaned against the doors, keeping them ajar.

"Tomorrow I go home and we go back to you ignoring me. Is that how it's going to be?"

"I'll be in touch in a month, Pete. I promise we will discuss things more then, okay?"

Peter nodded, disappointment flooding his face and mounted the steps. He heard Tony shut the glass doors behind him and the closure felt permanent. Peter allowed the tears to cascade down his cheeks now as he made his way back upstairs, and to his room. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He never felt more alone than he did right now. His heart ached, both from feeling empty and from being brushed aside. He knew that his internship was over and that he'd probably never hear from Tony Stark again. He'd blown it. The suit was gone forever, and he was alone again just like before.

Peter wiped the tears away and walked over to the mirror. He stared at his red, tear-streaked face. Suddenly he hated his reflection. He put his fist out and the mirror shattered under his hand.

"Damn it!" he cursed. The shards of the mirror scattered at his feet and some caught in his hand. He grimaced as he looked at his hand. Blood pooled around the shards. Somehow the pain was cathartic. He didn't often feel pain like he did before he was bitten by the spider. A part of him welcomed it this time. Feeling physical pain was better than emotional pain any day. He walked to his ensuite bathroom and ran his hand under the running water, picking out the shards. He stood watching the blood run down the sink. His hand slowly stopped stinging and he could see it beginning to heal. His healing abilities even impressed him.

He looked in the mirror and his thoughts went to how he'd felt when Tony had struck him. The immediate sting had shocked him. He'd been knocked around a time or two as Spiderman and often it stung a little but Tony's wallop had hurt. That sting, compounded with the look on the man's face, had more than taken him aback. It had reminded him of a time when he was much younger and his Uncle Ben had taken him to task over his disrespectful attitude. Those memories weren't pleasant but his heart ached for uncle. He missed the man so much that it sucked the oxygen from his lungs. Ben had been like a father to him and every fibre of his being ached from missing the man. Somehow, without even knowing it, Peter had allowed himself to believe the Tony Stark cared for him and maybe, just maybe…no, that kind of thinking had only led him to where he was now. Wounded and alone.

A loud knock at the door pulled him from his revelry. Before Peter could answer, the door flung open and Tony came into the room, a look of concern on his face. Peter was confused as to how the man had gained entry when he had locked the door behind him.

"FRIDAY said you injured your hand. Are you okay, Kid?" Tony took in the broken mirror in the room and the hole in the wall from earlier and crossed his arms.

"How…"

"FRIDAY let me in, kid. Let me see your hand."

Peter came out of the bathroom looking sheepish. "Uh, I kinda had a little accident."

Tony stepped forward and reached for Peter's hand, inspecting the damage. He looked up at the boy and shook his head.

"Was it worth it?"

Peter pulled his hand away. "It was an accident."

"So you said." Tony crossed the room and inspected the hole that Peter had kicked in the wall earlier. "I suppose this was an accident too?"

Peter swallowed and nodded. "I…uh…keep forgetting how strong I am. I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I will pay for it to be repaired."

"With what, Pete? You don't even have a job, for Pete's sake. Are you going to ask your aunt to pay for it?" Tony waved a dismissive hand. "Never mind, it's not about the money. I can afford to repair it. I'm more concerned with the why. What made you mad enough to put your hand through a mirror and your foot through the wall?"

Peter walked nervously over to the desk in the room. He stared out the window at the skyline. From the corner of his eye, he could see Tony taking in the room. Peter felt sure he would notice that he hadn't touched anything in the room, not the video games, the computer or the Lego. All of it stood untouched but if the billionaire philanthropist was bothered, he didn't show it.

"I'm sorry."

"That's not what I asked for, kid. You don't need to apologize to me. I want an explanation."

Maybe it was something in the man's voice or maybe it was because Peter was so tired, but whatever it was, it was this moment when Peter's resolve broke. His whole body began to shake and tears fell down his cheeks in currents.

"I-I never asked you to find me. You were the one w-who lied to m-my aunt about the stupid internship," sobbed Peter, working really hard to regain his equilibrium.

"Peter," began Tony, sobering at how hard the kid was struggling to speak to him.

"NO!" shouted Peter, his face red from his emotional outburst. "You came to me, Stark. Not the other way around! I-I never asked for your help. You asked for mine! I d-did you a favour by going to Germany." Peter choked back another sob and Tony tried to reach out to comfort him but Peter pulled away. "Don't. Just don't." Peter clenched his fists tightly. He didn't want to be this needy and pathetic. He didn't want to need Tony, but he did. He did need him.

Tony stood quietly taking in Peter's emotional vulnerability. The helplessness was written all over the young teen in front of him. Peter wasn't mad about the suit. It wasn't anything to do with the suit at all. Tony could finally see the truth. When Tony had first discovered the footage of Spiderman on Youtube, he'd taken some time to find out who Peter Parker was. He'd discovered lots about the kid including the recent murder of his uncle, how hard the kid's aunt worked to keep him in private school and the death of his parents when he was knee-high to a grasshopper. Peter had lived a hard life.

Peter suddenly turned. "I'm going home. You have your suit. I get it; I'm grounded from being Spiderman and you'll call me in a month. It's all good." He started towards the door but Tony caught him by his forearm.

"You're not going anywhere, kiddo," began Tony softly.

Peter shook off Tony's hand. "Yes, I am. Damn it, just let me go!" Tears kept running down his cheeks in torrents.

Tony shook his head and in one fluid movement, drew Peter into himself and tightly embraced him. Tony felt the kid's body stiffen in response but Tony held him firmly and stroked the back of young teens head.

"It's okay, Peter. You're not alone anymore," he whispered in his ear.

Peter's body was tense for several more minutes and then he melted into the embrace, sobbing. Tony held him close, feeling the kid's pulse race and hearing the anguish in the cries. As much as Tony was a tough guy, he was also compassionate and his heart went out to the teenager.

"I'm sorry…I-I just wanted to be like you…I-I just…"

Tony hushed him gently. "I know, kid. I understand."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Two cents: Greetings All. Hope you are all enjoying your summer. My family is busy renovating bedrooms and a bathroom. Life is super busy with kids and summer. Sorry I have left you all hanging. I was trying to decide if I would just end the story last chapter or continue. Let me know what you think. Should I continue to build on this story or just let it end a natural death? I can't promise my updates will be fast or very often. My career, family and church obligations keep me busy but if there is an interest, I will continue to plug away and work on some content to add. Tony is realizing that Peter needs a father figure in his life and, much to his chagrin, he's realized that if Peter doesn't want May to know about his super abilities, Peter needs more than just a mentor.**

 **Enjoy.**

 **Cheers!**

Peter leaned his forehead against Tony Stark's chest, trying to compose himself. He ached inside and he felt humiliated knowing that he'd completely broken down in front of the man he respected so much. In all the time Peter had known Tony, the man always exuded self-control. How could Peter ever garner the man's respect if he acted like a complete moron around him all the time? Peter forced himself to pull away and he quickly wiped his eyes and nose with the back of his arm. He couldn't make himself look the billionaire in the eye but he could feel the man staring at him.

"You ok, Peter?"

Peter nodded but didn't look up; instead, he stared at the hardwood floor of his room.

Tony let out a loud sigh and leaned against the nearby desk. "I'm so sorry, Peter. I had no idea how much you were struggling."

Peter looked up and sniffled. He made eye contact with Tony and had to blink back a fresh onslaught of tears. The tone of the man's voice made him feel like fleeing and never coming back. He didn't want the man's pity. He wasn't some pathetic hard luck story. He believed in making his own luck, come what may.

"I don't want your pity."

"Always the tough guy," Tony muttered more to himself than to Peter, running a weary hand through his hair, exasperation written all over his face.

Peter lifted his chin and wiped away the remaining tears. This time he forced himself to maintain eye contact, his whole body exuding pride. He never asked Tony Stark to come into his life. He would fine once the man left it.

"I can call my aunt to come and get me, Mr. Stark. I am sorry about, well, about everything. I know I can't pay for the damages…"

Tony shook his head and clucked his tongue. "Would you just stop that already! Cut the bullshit, Pete. It's time to be real."

Peter's eyes widened. A few more tears escaped but he quickly swiped them away. He wasn't used to being called out on things. His aunt rarely saw through his well-polished façade. Ever since his uncle was killed, he had put on a good show of having it together. He needed his aunt to know he was fine so she could be fine too.

"Look, I know about your Uncle." Peter's eyes widened but before he could say anything, Tony held up his hand to forestall him. "Just listen to me for a minute, okay. I don't want to argue with you anymore. I'm tired and I know you are too. Knock off the teenage angst for a moment."

Peter nodded and relaxed his tense shoulders a little. He was tired. In fact, he suddenly realized he was exhausted.

"I probably owe you more of an apology than I know, Pete, but for now, please just accept a truce. Once I figure things out, we can talk some more. I know Spiderman is part of who you are and taking the suit away isn't going to deter you from being who you are. I'm asking you to just take a break for a while, not as punishment but as a favour to me…"

"Mr. Stark," began Peter, his brain not comprehending much of anything.

"Pete, sit down before you fall down." Tony pointed to the bed across from the desk. Peter obliged, suddenly grateful to sit down. His eyelids were heavy. Tony reached out and brushed his hair from his eyes. For once, Peter didn't pull away; he actually relished the touch, so caring and so familiar.

"You smell like metal," mumbled Peter as he sat down, leaning his head against the wall.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You smell like a mixture of metal and oil, kinda like a machine shop."

Tony chuckled and sat down beside Peter. He patted the kid's leg gently. "I think you're delirious, kid."

Peter's eyes fluttered as he fought hard to keep them from closing. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark."

"It's okay, Pete. Close your eyes and get some sleep." Peter shook his head in protest but his eyelids closed again. "Go ahead, kiddo, get some rest," encouraged Tony, "I'll still be here when you wake up."

IM-SM-SP-IM-SP-IM-SM-IM-SP-IM-SP

Tony watched as Peter's eyes fluttered a few more times and then stayed closed. He heaved a weary sigh as he sized up the teenager collapsed on the bed. Peter Parker was a force to be reckoned with. That was for sure and for certain. Tony had seen a side of the boy that he never thought he'd deal with. There was no way that his Aunt was going to be able to handle the kid as a superhero. The woman could try to keep the kid under control but Tony knew that it would be impossible. Heck, even Tony would be hard pressed to keep Peter reigned in.

Tony pulled himself backward on the bed until his back was resting against the wall and he guided Peter's head gently to his lap. Tony ran a gentle hand through the boy's still damp brown hair. Lashing out at the kid in anger had certainly set off a chain of events Tony hadn't anticipated. Peter had managed to push some kind of internal parental button Tony didn't even know he'd had. The gauntlet was meant as an empty threat, one he never intended to follow through on. Yet when Peter's rebellious insolence came out of nowhere, Tony acted on impulse. Howard Stark would have been proud. One thing Tony's father never put up with was disrespect. Tony had felt his father's disapproval on several occasions when he dared to disrespect his father.

Peter stirred, turning to his side but didn't wake up. Tony heaved a sigh of relief grateful for the respite. He needed time to think. He wanted to honour Peter's request to keep his aunt in the dark about the Spiderman stuff but his gut was screaming at him and his stupidity to agree to such a thing. Peter was still a child. Fifteen years old, for Pete's sake. What was he thinking? May Parker should know everything about Peter. Being a teenager superhero was daunting…it was emotionally draining and it impacted Peter more than the kid even realized. If someone died or was seriously injured, that would affect Peter. It wasn't a game, no matter how Peter viewed it as such sometimes.

Tony stroked the young teen's hair and looked at his features, peaceful in sleep. "Oh, kid, what am I going to do with you?" The words came out as a whisper. "I suck at taking care of my own self; hell, if it wasn't for Pepper running my business and taking care of me, I'd be a pauper."

Tony thoughts flashed to his father, Howard Stark. The man had been an enigma to him as a child, teen and young adult. Tony certainly had never learned what a good father was at all from the man. How on earth could Tony even attempt to be any type of father figure to a kid? Tony laughed at his own ponderings. His thoughts were ludicrous. Tony Stark a father? HA! That'd be the day.

It hit Tony at that moment what a selfish son of a bitch he really was. The kid was right. Peter never asked Tony to interfere in his life. He'd all but bullied the kid into going to Germany. Tony had been the one to construct the huge lie about the internship to deceive May. None of it had been Peter's idea.

Tony had been the one to force the issue and basically used him for what he'd wanted and tossed him to the side without so much as a second thought.

"God, kid, I'm a real bastard. I'm so sorry."

Peter's hair was still damp with perspiration from their earlier dealings. Tony's heart went out to the kid now. He just hadn't stopped to think. Peter was struggling too, dealing with things he shouldn't have to deal with at his age. The boy's plate was full yet, for some reason, he felt some kind of strong obligation to help others. Tony understood the draw. He had the same compulsion. But things were different. Tony was an adult. He had the means to act on his impulses; Peter didn't have that and he shouldn't need to.

"Damn it, Pete," he muttered, gripping the boy's dark hair in his fist a little more roughly than he meant to. "Why can't you just leave well enough alone and enjoy being a kid. There is plenty of time to do adult stuff when you're an old codger like me."

Peter groaned in his sleep causing Tony to release his grip and brush the boy's hair down gently once more.

"You need to learn to listen, kid. Just respect and listen to me. Let go of this stuff and let the adults handle it. It's not your job yet."

Tony found himself sighing and wanting to shake the teenager to put some sense into him. His thoughts continued to run in different directions for a while before he finally rested his own head against the back of the wall and shut his eyes. There was no use beating himself up over things he couldn't change. Tony left his hand resting on Peter's soft hair and drifted into a fitful sleep.

IM-SM-SP-IM-SP-IM-SM-IM-SP-IM-SP

Morning light poured into the room as Peter reached up and wiped the back of his mouth with his hand and opened his eyes. He felt a heavy hand on his head and was startled when he realized the hand belonged to Tony Stark. He attempted to move only to realize he was for the most part lying on top of the man. His face flushed crimson as he scurried to gain some semblance of his pride back but also not wake the man. How long had they been asleep together like this? It was humiliating to Peter to think his mentor had seen him so broken down and out of sorts. Gawd, he'd screwed up beyond repair. He might as well just give up on ever being Spiderman ever again. Tony Stark was never going to see him as anything but some dumb idiotic kid if he didn't stop screwing up so royally.

Peter swallowed a lump in his throat when he felt Tony stir as well. There was no way Peter could get up and escape without the man noticing now. Peter sat up and crawled off the bed quickly and headed towards the washroom.

"You okay, Webster?"

Peter turned and nodded. "Yah. Sorry, uh, I'm just gonna use the washroom."

Tony stretched and nodded.

Peter disappeared into the washroom and relieved himself. He stood in front of the mirror and stared at his pale face. Glancing briefly at his watch, he couldn't believe how much time had passed. In the distance, he could hear Tony talking to Friday. He couldn't make out what was being said so he stopped trying to figure it out. Staring at his reflection, he cupped several handfuls of water from the tap and tossed it into his face, grateful for the way it refreshed him and helped him clear his thoughts. How was he going to get past Tony so he could go home? He didn't want to discuss things anymore. He was tired of talking.

Peter jumped when a knock was heard on the door.

"Hate to drag ya out if you're busy, Pete, but I wouldn't mind a minute if you're finished."

Peter bit his lip and sighed, opening the door and walked out sheepishly keeping his eyes from making contact with Tony's.

Tony stopped before entering the small room. "Don't go anywhere, Pete."

Peter nodded silently and walked towards the window, hearing the door close behind him.

A few minutes later, Tony entered the room with his face damp. He smiled at Peter, "No towels?"

"Uh, yah, I used them to clean up a spill…"

Tony held up his hand. "It's okay. My handsome good looks will survive. It's all good."

Peter chewed on his bottom lip.

"How'd you sleep?"

Peter shrugged. Truth be known, he didn't remember falling asleep and it had been a restless sleep at best. He felt as heavy laden as he had when he'd fallen asleep and nothing was solved.

"Yah, me too," said Tony quietly, obviously acknowledging the restless sleep they both had received.

There was a long pregnant pause. Peter fidgeted as Tony continued to stare at him. It was making him feel very uncomfortable to be scrutinized so closely. What exactly was the man thinking about? Was it how much of a nuisance he was? How he regretted ever getting involved with some messed up superhero wannabe?

"You hungry?"

Peter shrugged again, turning away and staring out the window absently. The sun was up and he could vaguely see antlike people milling around below them. It was Saturday but life never seemed to be at a standstill In Manhattan. Life kept going at a fast pace regardless of the time of day.

"Not really," he finally said.

"Liar," stated Tony flatly.

Peter rolled his eyes. A part of him was feeling just as combative as the night before, only now he was more rested and ready to battle with less emotion. All he wanted to do was go home and forget he'd ever met Tony Stark. He was ready to fight for that freedom this morning.

Peter puffed out his cheeks. "Look, just say what you want to say, Mr. Stark…"

"Tony."

Peter spun around to face Tony, taken aback. "What?"

Tony scrubbed a hand across his face as he straddled the desk chair. "Call me Tony. Mr. Stark was my father."

Peter blinked at a loss for words. Of all things his mentor could have said, Peter did not expect that. Calling an adult by his first name wasn't something usually offered to him. Most adults just wanted the respect and the authority, keeping him and any other teenager at a respectable distance.

"Would you sit and talk to me, Pete?"

Peter closed his eyes and shook his head. He felt like the carpet was being pulled out from under him. Tony Stark's whole demeanour had seemed to change from the night before. Instead of commanding, he was requesting. Peter ran both hands through his hair before opening his eyes and looking at Tony suspiciously.

"Don't look at me like that, kid." Tony reached out for the other chair and shoved it towards him. "Just sit down. Please."

Peter sighed and straddled it in the same fashion as Tony.

"I meant what I said last night, Peter."

Peter felt his back go up. Tony had said a lot of things last night. Before he could say anything, Tony raised his hand to forestall him.

"Before you go all teenage angst on me, I mean about not being alone. You aren't alone anymore. Peter, I don't know what cosmic event threw us together, but I have to say I'm not concerned by it. I'm glad I met you. I'm more than glad. I'm freaking honoured. You're an incredible kid!"

Peter licked his lips as tears threatened to make an appearance once again. Peter blinked hard and fast, his anger and combativeness melting away at the same time.

"You said a lot of things last night that made me think." At this point, Peter saw Tony grimace and look down at the floor. The man stared for a few moments before looking him straight in the eye. "You're right, Pete. I did seek you out and all but coerced you to go to Germany. You got a raw deal, and I'm sorry."

Peter sucked in a sharp breath. He couldn't have been more shocked than he was in that moment. He remained quiet and still, not knowing what to say.

"I'm so sorry about your uncle and how hard you and your aunt struggle to stay afloat. Your aunt is a remarkable woman. I hope you realize that."

Peter nodded. He couldn't have agreed more. His aunt was an extraordinary woman. He loved her with his whole heart. She took him in as a little scrawny, annoying kid and loved him like her own, his uncle as well. He owned them everything.

"I do."

"Good because if I ever hear about you giving her grief, you'll have me to deal with. Got it?"

Peter's eyes widened but he nodded quickly, not knowing how else to respond to the underlying threat.

Tony's expression softened. "The point is, kid, whatever brought us together put aside, I'm here for you now. You're stuck with me. I respect you don't want your aunt to know about this superhero business, and I won't tell her unless we discuss it first. I give you my word."

"Thanks."

Tony nodded and then stood up, looking down at him. "But this comes with consequence, Peter. You've got to understand that. This leaves me in an awkward position. You get that, don't you?"

Peter sighed loudly. It didn't matter if he didn't agree. Tony Stark felt responsible and there wasn't anything he could do about that so instead of protesting, he merely nodded.

Tony paced a little, scratching his head and cracking his knuckles loudly. He turned and walked over to Peter and placed his hands on both his shoulders, looking down at him.

"I meant what I said about the suit and the consequences as well, Pete. As much as it sucks, you're stuck with me and my obstinate ways."

Peter shrugged off his hands. "I already said I agreed to your rules last night. What else do you want from me?" His voice was much louder and terse than he meant it to be but he didn't attempt to correct it. He was on edge, and he was angry Tony had hit him last night. He couldn't change how he felt.

Tony frowned and put his hands on his hips. "A little respect would be nice."

Peter's face reddened. "Fine."

Tony sighed. "Alright. I guess we've talked enough. Want me to take you back to May's?"

This time Peter's jaw dropped in utter surprise. Tony had never offered to take him anywhere. Usually Happy did that. All he could do was offer a nod in reply.

Tony offered him a weary smile. "Okay. Take whatever you want. It all belongs to you anyway. Meet me downstairs in an hour. Need anything, just ask Friday." With those final words, Tony disappeared from the room leaving Peter alone.

Peter sat staring at the empty doorway. Now what? What did this new relationship mean? Peter had no idea what to expect for here on in. Deep down he knew that everything had changed.


	9. Chapter 9

Peter tossed his chemistry book onto his bed, sighing loudly and looking at the clock on his side table. 8pm. How could it only be 8pm? Peter stood up, pacing his room and listening to see if his aunt had returned home yet. Silence echoed in his ears and he knew she hadn't. His aunt had been taking extra shifts lately to earn some extra money. Peter had had a growth spirt, outgrowing his shoes and some of his shirts as well. As always, his aunt and he were always on a tight budget. It made him feel horrible that she had to work such long hours because of him but she reassured him that it was his time in life to be a kid and go to school. She refused to let him get a part-time job even. Childhood was short enough and he should enjoy it just as she had. It seemed to Peter that being a kid was lasting forever but he gave up arguing with her. More than anything, he was lonely and he despised being alone night after night.

Peter wandered out into the family room, plopping down into the old comfortable sofa. He grabbed the nearest pillow and hugged it as he stared around the room. It had been exactly two weeks since Tony Stark had dumped him off, apologising to May for keeping Peter overnight without giving her a suitable reason. Of course, Aunt May, being who she was, waved it off as unimportant. She made Mr. Stark promise to come for dinner sometime, thanking him kindly for offering Peter such a fantastic opportunity. Peter's heart had thumped so violently in his chest during the whole Stark performance that he thought he might quite literally hyperventilate and die in front of them both. However, Mr. Stark had been a man of his word and never mentioned a thing about Peter being Spiderman. He simply bid Peter farewell but not before tossing a cell phone at him, telling him it was a direct line to him and to call him anytime a need should arise. The subtle stern look on the man's face was missed by his aunt but it was not lost on Peter and then the man left without another word.

Peter took the phone out of his pocket and fingered it. It was just a plain Jane flip phone. Not something Peter thought the Billionaire would own much less give to him. Peter's finger rested on the call button, just like it had dozens of other times over the past two weeks but just like all the other times, something stopped him from using it.

"He's never gonna answer it, you idiot." His voice, filled with disdain, startled him as it echoed in the empty room.

Peter flipped the phone open and closed a few times before setting it on the table. This was nuts. Here it was, 8 pm on a Friday night and he was sitting at home doing his chemistry homework. What kind of loser was he anyway? The truth was he had been invited to hang out with Ned and several of his other friends but he had turned them all down. He had planned to go out as Spiderman, despite Tony's warnings but when push came to shove, he hadn't. His mind kept going back to the gauntlet and then he chickened out. The threat of a pissed off Tony Stark loomed over him like the shadow cast from the blade of a guillotine waiting to fall.

"This is nuts! Stark isn't the boss of me. If I wanna go out as Spiderman, I sure as hell don't need his permission!"

Peter stood to his feet just then and returned to his room, donning his old suit. He groaned when he eyed himself in the mirror. It was pathetic in comparison to Stark's suit, baggy and saggy all over. Stark had pretty much hit the nail of the head when he called them pyjamas. Peter forced himself to stand a little taller despite his appearance. So what if the suit wasn't fancy and full of top of the line technology. For better or worse, the suit was all he had and people needed his help so he needed to shake off his stupid pride and get out there. The suit had been fine before he met Stark and it would certainly do now.

The teenager locked his bedroom door, in case his aunt came home early and barged in, and escaped out his window into the night.

IM-SM-SP-IM-SP-IM-SM-IM-SP-IM-SP

Several hours went by as Peter stopped a few burglaries, pickpockets and vandals. For a Friday night, Peter was pleasantly surprised to discover that crime was not so terrible that he felt guilty for not patrolling the past few weeks. He felt exhilarated as he sat at the top of a high rise realising how alive he felt when he was helping others. Nothing made him feel so useful and worthy than being Spiderman. Peter pulled out a granola bar taking a huge bite and smiling to himself. This was much more like it. He felt more alive when he was out and about, scaling the treelines and the tops of buildings.

Some bright lights in the distance caught his attention and Peter felt his spider senses tingling at the same time. It was unusual that he would sense danger considering the lights looked more like fireworks than anything dangerous. Curiosity forced him to his feet and Peter launched himself into the night, heading towards the bright lights. As he moved closer and further outside the big city, he discovered that the lights were actual explosions coming from some abandoned buildings. He continued closer, his heart beating fast in his chest. Suddenly, he wished that he could ask Karen to give him some Intel. Damn if he didn't miss his more technologically advanced suit. Cursing Stark, Peter swung closer to see a few men with some of those forbidden weapons once again. It seemed like they were continuing to check out the powers of the guns and not caring for a second the kind of damage they were inflicting around them.

"Damn it, Mason, be more careful, would ya? Do you want Toomes to incinerate you like he did Brice?" The burly man made a face at his partner and snatched the high tech weapon from his hand.

"What the hell, Schultz!" complained Mason, looking chagrined. "I was just testing its capabilities is all. Can't a guy have any fun around here?"

"Toomes wanted us to deliver the goods, not blow up half of New York in the process. Wasn't the Ferry incident enough attention?"

Peter shrunk low behind the building trying to hear the rest of the conversation.

Schultz held the weapon in his hand, admiring it.

"Can you believe that Spider-kid? Toomes was so pissed off over the ferry incident; I thought he was going to blow a gasket."

Schultz set the weapon down on that back gate of the truck he was standing beside, turning to whistle at the burning building across from them.

"Whatever. Forget the kid, already. He's small potatoes. We have a job to do and the police are going to be here soon enough. Let's get out a here and get something to eat."

Peter rested on his haunches, debating on his best recourse. Letting these two jokers go their way would just allow these weapons to stay in circulation. Who knew what Toomes planned to do with them! Peter was guessing that he'd sell them to the highest bidder and that could mean a lot of trouble for the United States in the future. If they fell into the wrong hands, it could mean war or worse. Deciding that he needed to stop them, Peter stood up and swung into action.

IM-SM-SP-IM-SP-IM-SM-IM-SP-IM-SP

Tony Stark scrubbed a hand over his face and sighed wearily. He was bone tired from events recently. The Accords had him emotionally worn out and his growing concern with his mentorship with Peter Parker had him torn into pieces. What had he been thinking of getting mixed up with a teenager? It was one of the stupidest ideas in his whole life. What had processed him to think that he could just drop in on a kid's life, use him for his own interests and think he could just toss him aside? Life didn't work like that when it came to kids.

"Stupid doesn't even begin to describe you, Stark," he mumbled to himself for the umpteenth time over the last several weeks.

Tony strode across the room and threw himself down on the sofa in his workshop. His mind wasn't on his work at all. Not that his work was anything but play this time of day but still, he was annoyed that he couldn't concentrate on his play. Peter Parker was the only thing that haunted his thoughts both day and night. Glancing at his watch, he noticed it was approached 10 pm. He found himself wondering what the kid was up to on a Friday night. What kind of things did kids do nowadays on a Friday night? Tony knew what he did when he was 15 years old and he hoped to God Peter's Aunt May didn't allow him to do that kind of things. Tony shuddered at the thought of his teenage years. He had been out of control with two busy socialite parents who had little time to pay attention to his shenanigans. More times than not, Tony was bailed out of mishaps by the butler or his governess. No one bothered trying to correct his behaviour. Tony just spun out of control.

Tony's thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone. Grabbing his cell, he glanced at the number to see Happy Hogan's face on his screen.

"Yo, Hap. What's up?"

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news, Boss, but you better be googling some up-to-date YouTube videos on your spider problem."

Tony's mouth went dry. No. It couldn't be true. He'd forbidden Peter to go out as Spiderman for two weeks while he cooled off over the whole Ferry fiasco. Peter wouldn't dare defy him, would he? Not after everything they'd so clearly discussed. Tony rose to his feet, his cell phone still glued to his ear as Happy went on to describe some recent events happening as they spoke. Tony pulled up Youtube and in the spotlight was none other than Spiderman in all his glory.

"What the holy hell does that kid think he's doing?"

Tony was so stunned that he literally stared at the video with his mouth dangling open. Peter was taking on two yahoos with some very high tech weapons. Tony grimaced, not knowing if he was more impressed or just genuinely pissed off at Peter's antics.

"Kid's got grit, Boss."

Tony groaned. "I'm going to kick his ass, Happy!"

"Want me to drag his ass to the tower?"

"Nah, Allow me the pleasure. Looks like the kid has things well in hand but damn it all to hell, Hap, why does that kid have to make such a friggen mess doing it!"

Tony heard Happy chuckle on the other end of the line. "The kid is good. You have to admit that."

Tony sighed as he watched Peter web up the two hoodlums to the wall. All the while the kid was chattering away, oblivious to the fact that some stupid tourist was recording the whole event and uploading it directly to YouTube. The recorder was likely going to make a bundle off YouTube for the live action broadcast, shot before authorities even were aware of the event. God, why was he the lucky one all the time? Why couldn't Rhody be the one to have to deal with this nonsense. Didn't he, Tony Stark, already have enough drama in his life?

"Call in the Stark cleaning crew, Hap, and I'll go bring our spidey-boy home." With that, Tony cut off the call and dropped his cell phone into this pocket.

It was going to be one hell of a long night.


	10. Chapter 10

**My 10 cents: Well, I figured most of you thought the story was heading in this direction by your reviews. Thanks for the reviews btw. My original intention wasn't actually to head in this direction, but I had some frustrating days with my 15-year-old son and this chapter was surprisingly quick to write and therapeutic. The best part was emailing my son this chapter and seeing the annoyed look on his face! Better Peter than my kid, right? I told him just that. I grounded my kid and gave him enough chores to keep him busy until school starts on Sept 10th.**

 **I don't want this work to be a beat on Peter fic...I hope it will become more of a father/son mentoring and bonding fic...perhaps, by getting this out of the way at the beginning, Pete will get the idea that Tony isn't messing around with the whole obedience thing. My son tends to think that obedience is optional, and it's really testing my patience. *growl***

 **Anyways, hope you don't think Tony is a creep or that I am a creep...I'm just an irritated dad and Peter was my scapegoat. Sorry about that, Pete.**

 **All that to say that WARNING: a really annoying, disobedient fictional teenager gets some hands-on discipline from a fictional adult.**

Peter paced. It was an odd habit but it was something he did when he was very anxious or very angry. This time, he was both. His lips and brow were firmly set in a menacing scowl only matched by Tony Stark's equally ominous glare. An observer might have wagered a guess that the two of them were having a glaring match. Tony was standing with both his hands on his hips and muttering expletives under his breath, not loud enough to be understood but obvious enough to be known he was cursing up a storm.

"Stop it!" said Peter, suddenly finding his tongue and annoyed enough to have the guts to say something despite the polar dip in the room.

Tony's glare deepened. "Stop what? My plan to kick your ass into the middle of next week?"

"You and whose army, Stark?"

Tony chuckled sardonically. "I don't need an army, kid. All I need is one Ironman boot."

Peter swallowed hard at the remark and crossed his arms. His anger wasn't going to get him far in this conversation and he knew it.

Tony hadn't even removed his Ironman suit yet. The man was standing sternly sans the helmet with his hands on his hips, doing his damnedest to look intimidating and he was going a pretty good job at it. In pale comparison, Peter was still in his homemade Spiderman suit and the whole sight was ridiculous, making Peter feel like even more like a kid.

"You didn't need to haul me off like some wanton criminal. I did everyone a favour catching those guys. They have to work for Toomes!"

Tony's arms dropped to his side and he took a step closer to Peter, pointing at him sternly. "Where's the phone I gave you?"

Peter sucked in a breath and took a step back. His mind raced in the moment. He didn't remember what he'd done with the phone. His suit didn't exactly come equipped with deep pockets for cell phones. He didn't even carry his own when he was out and about as Spiderman. It ticked his aunt off too.

"Uhh, I dunno…umm, I think it's at home…"

"Why aren't you at home with it, Pete? Why the hell didn't you just call me and tell me what was going on instead of taking it into your own stupid head to handle it yourself? Seems to me that I remember grounding you from the whole Spiderman gig…"

"NO, you didn't. You asked if I would take a break for a couple of weeks, and I did. It was time I got back out there, and besides, you're not my boss, Stark!" Peter's voice sounded much firmer than he felt. Inside, he felt like a bowl full of runny Jell-O.

Tony's jaw was clenched tightly. He spun on his heel with a loud growl and walked towards the mini bar. On the way there, he stopped to step out of his Ironman suit and the suit disappeared from the room under its own power. Peter's jaw dropped in amazement. Every time he witnessed to Tony's ingenuity, he was left in complete awe.

Tony grabbed two bottles of water from the mini fridge, turned and chucked one at Peter's head. Peter's quick reflexes took over and he caught the water.

"That's not how I remember things, Underoos."

Peter shrugged and set the bottle of water down. He hadn't given up his pacing yet and wasn't ready to accept any peace offerings from Tony just yet.

Tony, on the other hand, opened the top on his and emptied the bottle. Being pissed off at the teenager had made him thirsty. More than anything, though, he longed for something a hell of a lot stronger but he knew he needed to keep his wits about him so he could aim straight when he kicked the spider's little butt across the penthouse.

"Look, Pete, I thought we got past all this teenage angst last time. I'm really trying hard here and you seem to just go for broke. What gives?"

Peter furrowed his brows, not even knowing how to answer the question.

"I took a break. The break is over. Plain enough for you?" Peter was surprised at how sharp his tone was. He was also surprised how angry and hurt he felt; he didn't even really understand why.

Tony sighed and sat down on the very plush and comfortable sofa. He gestured for Peter to follow suit but Peter shook his head stubbornly.

"Damn it. How is possible that I can screw up with you every friggen time?" Tony leaned back and ran both hands through his hair before looking up. "Okay, spiderling, you win. I did ask you to take a break for two weeks, and you're correct, that time is up. However, I did not give you back the suit; therefore, you damned well should have called me to get it back rather than going out in your pyjamas and taking on the dangerous bad guys again. May I remind you that those are the same high tech weapons that almost got you killed a couple weeks ago? I'm still pissed with you over that whole Ferry incident."

Peter stopped pacing and set his gaze on Tony. His eyes were ablaze. "You said you would be in touch when YOU were ready! That phone was for emergencies. It wasn't an emergency. I handled things fine on my own."

Tony harrumphed. "Shall I bill you directly for my clean up crew's expenditures, Mr. Parker?"

Peter glared. "Those buildings were blown up long before I came along. I'm the one that stopped them from doing any more damage, so don't lay that crap on me, Stark."

Tony stood up and his hands found his hips once more, exasperation written across his face. "Kid, it's not the damage that concerns me. It's your reckless attitude."

Peter's face reddened, huffing in annoyance but remained silent.

"Now, I'm not in the mood to rehash conversations we've already had. I'm just going to follow through with the consequences and hope I get something through to that thick head of yours."

Peter's brows rose and his heart skipped a beat in his chest.

"Seems to me that you broke our deal. Tell me, Mr. Parker, what was rule number two?"

Peter searched his head for the rules. It had been a few weeks and he hadn't actually been all that keen on paying much attention to the rules Mr. Stark had blathered about. He just agreed originally to get the suit back and to shut the man up.

Tony crossed his legs, picking imaginary lint from his sweatshirt. He looked entirely too smug for Peter's liking and it was making him more angry than repentant.

"Well? I'm waiting, Pete."

Peter shrugged and pulled off his red and blue sweatshirt, feeling hot under the collar. Without his sweater, his red t-shirt underneath felt much cooler. He hiked up his saggy blue bottoms and decided to take a load off and sit.

"Who the hell cares," he muttered heatedly, trying to keep his pride intact.

Tony rubbed his forehead that seemed to be pounding a new tune in his head. "Let me refresh your memory. No going after supervillains with high tech weapons. Sound vaguely familiar, Mr. Parker?"

Peter sighed, his anger melting away. He was screwed. Suddenly, fatigue hit him full force. It was going to be a long, long evening.

"They weren't supervillains…" he muttered half-heartedly.

Tony lifted one brow in amusement. "Yah, yah, I'll give you that, but they were using high tech weapons that you know nothing about. Am I right?" Peter narrowed his eyes at him but didn't answer so Tony continued, "You also broke rule three."

Peter searched his brain again but came up empty. He had no idea what rule Tony was referring to this time either.

"Don't piss off Tony," said Tony, a small smirk playing on his lips.

Peter sunk back further into the sofa. He felt like he was attached to a bungee cord, rushing full speed to the ground only to be jerked upward one again. The sensation was jarring. Anger mixed with fear settling into his gut.

"What about not pissing me off, huh? You grabbed me like some kind of prey. I wasn't even finished…" muttered Peter.

"Pete," said Tony in annoyance. "If I hadn't dragged your sorry carcass out of there, you might have been caught by the police."

Peter's rage surged up once more and he looked Tony square in the eyes. "I was leaving a note!"

Tony sighed, "Yah, from your friendly neighbour Spiderman. I know. Cute, kid." His voice was dripping in sarcasm. Tony stood to his feet and pulled Peter to his. His finger went into Peter's face quickly and Peter was unable to back away. "Toomes and his lackeys don't need a friendly neighbour spider baby. They need the damned Avengers!"

Peter grabbed Tony's arm and attempted to pull it off him but it was to no avail. It was then that Peter realised that Tony's watch gauntlet had been activated. There was no way Peter could escape Tony's iron like grip.

"There are no Avenger's left. You disbanded them in Sokovia."

Tony's face reddened at the words but he released his grip on Peter. Peter stepped back and straightened his shirt. Tony took a few steps away forcing his own self to calm down before turning back to the kid.

"I know. And you know it was for a good reason." The man's words were quiet.

Peter nodded, chewing on his bottom lip regretfully. He freely admitted he didn't understand everything concerning the Avengers, but he was willing to admit he knew it was for a good reason. There would be no other reason why the Avengers would split up and make enemies of each other. Peter's conscience pricked at him uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry," mumbled Peter, regret in his voice. As much as he was angry, he didn't want to hurt Tony.

Tony waved a dismissive hand. "Forget it, kid. We have enough to hash out tonight to let that bother me."

Peter nodded and began to pace again.

Tony pinched his nose wearily. The two of them were at a standstill and the ball was in Tony's court and he knew it. He had to fish or cut bait.

"Peter, I need to make a stand here. You're never going to respect me as an authority if I keep pussy footing around…"

Peter turned on his heel and scowled. "You're not anything to me, Stark."

Tony shook his head. "We had a deal, Underoos. I've kept my part of it and you haven't. So you have a choice here. You accept the consequences for your behaviour or you release me from the deal and let me have a chat with your Aunt May." Tony looked at his watch. He was in no mood to let this drag into the next day. He was dealing with it tonight and taking the kid home. Plain and simple.

Peter blinked.

"I'm not going to give you a whole bunch of time to think it over. We both know that just leads to you doing something stupid, so hurry up and decide so we can both get on with life."

Peter felt the colour drain from his face. There was no way May would understand him being a superhero. She would forbid it and he would go against her and it would be one giant mess.

"I…umm…I'm sorry, Mr. Stark…I…umm…" Peter stammered.

Tony rolled his eyes impatiently. "What'll it be, Pete?"

Peter shrugged and Tony threw his hands up in exasperation. Letting the kid decide was like putting him in front of 100 kinds of ice cream and expecting him to pick one favour. It was impossible. It was time to take the bull by the horns and take charge. Tony strode over to the wide-eyed teenager and grasped him firmly by the arm.

"W-wait, Mr. Stark, c-can we talk about this?" stammered Peter, taken aback and trying his best to pull away from the iron grip on his mentor.

"Pete, I've talked more to you than I talk to Pepper and that's saying a lot. I'm finished talking."

Tony pulled Peter over towards the sofa, put his foot on the edge and hiked the kid over his knee. Peter protested indignantly but Tony ignored him, scowling as he delivered several sharp swats to the kid's upended hiney.

"Oww…Mr. Stark…I'm sorry. P-Please stop," pleaded Peter, squirming and struggling to get free. Tony gritted his teeth and continued raining down swats but remained silent. He was tired of talking and for now, he was content to let his hand do the work for him.

Peter continued to squawk, squirm and complain but Tony disregarded it. He knew he wasn't really hurting the kid much anyway. Tony had spent a few days testing out the gauntlet as well as testing his strength on his own thigh. It might have sounded stupid, but Tony wanted to know how hard he was hitting. He didn't want to leave any marks, but he did want to leave a lasting sting. Tony figured that he'd smack the kid twenty times before he'd let the kid take a breather.

"P-please, Mr. Stark, please s-stop. You're h-hurting me."

Tony kept count in his head until he reached twenty sharp, stinging swats then he stopped. He repositioned Peter and held him close to his middle. Peter was breathing heavy and struggling to get free.

"Do I have your attention now, Mr. Parker? Would you by chance be ready to listen to reason?"

Peter shuttered and attempted to reach back to rub his stinging rear-end. Tony's swats weren't unbearable but they were certainly capturing his attention enough that he wanted to escape. His accelerated healing seemed to ward off the worst of the sting but Tony's firm swats were building up enough that he felt the throb and it was getting harder to maintain his dignity. Peter had been smacked around enough to know he healed quickly, but in all honesty, no one ever hit him more than once in the same place. The constant attention to the same area of his backside was bringing about much more of a sting than he would have liked.

"Pete?" Another sharp smack sucked his attention back into the room.

"OW!" he shouted, feeling that one a little more than the others.

"Do I have your attention?"

"Lemme go!" Peter struggled to get free but was unable to move freely enough to gain a foothold.

Tony shifted his knee tipping Peter forward further so that his feet dangled off the ground, putting more pressure on his stomach. Peter sucked in an uncomfortable breath.

"We had a deal, Pete. You break the deal, you end up here. Period. End of story. Got it?"

When Peter didn't answer, Tony resumed his assault on the kid's tender spots eliciting screeches from him.

"Please, Mr. Stark, please….ow…stop…" With these words, Peter dissolved into sobs but Tony didn't stop. He had a lesson to impart and he planned to carry it through to completion.

"Right about now, you're feeling pretty sorry for yourself, I'm sure, but you see, I want to get you past that and onto feeling sorry for breaking rules."

Tony was feeling rather heartless as he listened to the teenager sob but he didn't relent. He could feel the tension in the kid and he knew Peter hadn't completely yielded yet plus Tony also knew that he wasn't smacking the kid very hard. He'd given himself two black and blue bruises on his upper thigh from the gauntlet and he wasn't an enhanced superhero. The strength he was using behind the swats wasn't nearly as hard as he'd used on himself.

"God, stop, Stark, please!" This time belligerence rang out in the kid's voice between the sobs.

"Nope, not yet," answered Tony, upping the ante a little, keeping perfect control. Peter stiffened and yelped in response and Tony knew he's reached the perfect cadence. "Okay, I think we've reached the point where I have your attention." Peter yelped again and then his body went limp across Tony's knee. "There, now we're making progress." Tony stilled his hand, resting it on Peter's back and pulling Peter's shaking frame closer to his middle, adjusting him once again.

"P-please let me get up, I feel like I'm gonna be sick," cried Peter, his bottom lip quivering pathetically. Not only was Peter utterly humiliated, he was completely at Tony's mercy and currently, Tony didn't seem to have any.

"What was our deal?"

Peter huffed and was rewarded with a few sharp swats for his troubles. "Owwwww…okay…d-don't go after bad guys with super weapons," he cried out loudly, with a hiccup.

"And?" prodded Tony, tapping the kid's back lightly to encourage him along. His knee was getting sore supporting the kid's full weight and he wanted to finish things up.

"Don't piss you o-off!" Peter's voice cracked through the shuttering sobs. Tony figured he'd let that one slide. He did basically say that anyhow and he could always explain himself a little better afterwards.

"Alright, then we're done here."

Tony dropped his knee, steadying and supporting Peter's weight as the kid straightened up and felt the floor beneath his feet once more. Immediately, Peter jumped back and his hands flew to his sore rear, as tears of embarrassment and obvious discomfort ran down his flushed face.

"Now, then, since we've established an understanding and rid you of that attitude of yours, would you be so kind as to sit your ass down and let's have a little chat about your future as Spiderman."

Peter gulped, tears running down his cheeks but he obeyed and sat gingerly on the soft sofa, wincing as his tender bottom made contact with the cushion. He was too stunned to do anything but stare. He'd just been soundly spanked by Tony Stark, and it had hurt far more than he wanted to admit. Life as he knew it was about to change drastically.


	11. Chapter 11

Tony puffed out his cheeks in exasperation, clenched his jaw tightly and walked away from Peter towards the windows. He could hear Peter sniffling and hiccupping as the kid attempted to get himself back in control. Tony grimaced as he listened. He felt like the most despicable human being ever to walk the face of the earth. This was crazy. He wasn't the parental type. Who the hell was he to think he could even try to mentor a 15-year-old kid? Gawd, he was an idiot. Tony spun on his heel and stole a look at Peter. The teen was staring at his hands, sniffling and shifting around uncomfortably where he sat. Tears shimmered on the kid's cheeks and the pathetic sight smacked Tony right in the gut. Tony had done a lot of crummy things in his time, but spanking Peter had to rank in the top ten. That had truly sucked.

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Stark. I-I just…I only wanted…" Peter said as he hiccupped. He didn't look up to notice that Tony was staring at him. "Are you gonna keep the suit?"

Tony held his breath a moment. Gawd, kid, is that all you're concerned about after what just happened? He thought. He'd heard kids were resilient and bounced back quickly, but this was ridiculous. Peter should be livid with him for overstepping personal boundaries. He wasn't his father. Yes, they had made a deal, but dammit, why did the stupid kid make him follow through on it? Now he felt like dirt and the kid was rolling with it. Geez, the kid's aunt would kill him, demand God resurrect his sorry carcass and then kill him again.

Tony took a deep breath. "Are you okay, Pete?"

Peter looked up, obviously startled by the question. Fresh tears streamed down his flushed cheeks. He nodded curtly then dropped his chin again, fiddling with his hands nervously.

Tony walked over and sat across from him in an oversized lazy boy. He spun the ring around on his finger several times before reaching out and patting Peter's knee compassionately.

"I guess that really sucked for both of us, huh?"

Peter shrugged. "I vote it sucked more for me," he mumbled sulkily.

Tony snorted. "Yah, I suppose you're right." There was no way he'd ever be able to explain to the kid how hard that was on him and how much he hoped he'd never have to do that again. In fact, Tony planned to make sure it didn't happen again. He'd create a 24 hour a day babysitting robot before he's put himself through that again.

"C-can I have the suit back?"

Tony sighed. The kid had a one track mind. "I'm not going to answer that quite yet; we come to a little understanding first."

Peter groaned. "C'mon!"

Tony held up a hand. "Don't, Pete." His voice held a clear warning. Tony was tired. It had taken a lot of energy to have the balls to follow through with physically punishing Peter. The kid had no idea what it had taken out of him.

Peter's eyes widened slightly. "Look, I get it…"

"Kid, that's the problem. You don't get it. If you did, you wouldn't be asking about the damned suit."

Tony stood up and ran a hand through his dark hair. "You think it's easy for me to haul you over my knee? It's not. I hated doing that! But, Pete, what you did was dangerous. That is what you need to understand. I get you're enhanced. You're strong but hell, kid, you are not invincible. None of us are. Do you even remember Sokovia? It haunts my dreams daily. Hell, I haven't had a decent night's sleep since."

Peter chewed his lip blinking back tears as he took in Tony's words. "I'm not sure why you care so much," he muttered. "I'm nothing to you."

Tony pinched his nose, taking a deep breath. "I suppose I deserve that."

Peter was relentless in his glare.

"I care, Pete. I'm just not good at showing it."

Tony let the words linger in the room as he strode across the room to an expensive Rembrandt hanging on the wall. He reached out, pulled the canvass away revealing a hidden safe behind it. Tony entered a code and the door popped open. He pulled out a small box and walked over to Peter. He tossed it in the kid's lap.

"Open it."

Peter looked perplexed but he obeyed. He reached inside the box and pulled out a key fob hanging on a Stark Industries lanyard. "What is it?"

"It's your key to my lab. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of this façade we're playing with your aunt. She deserves better than that and so do you. So, as of today, your official Stark internship begins. You're a smart kid, Parker, so I expect I'm going to learn a lot of things from you."

Peter's eyes grew as large as saucers as he fingered the key fob in his hands. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I'm not. I key in a code but that little beauty will allow you entrance just by wearing it around your neck. Don't lose it, kid. It's the only one of its kind. No one else but Pepper knows the code and that's only because she forced it out of me in a moment of weakness. Gives me a whole new appreciation for Samson."

"Who?"

"You know; the guy in the Bible with long hair?"

"You read the bible? " Peter asked in disbelief.

Tony grimaced. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid, sheesh." Wise ass kid.

This time Peter laughed. The teen's tears were drying up and he looked lighter hearted and relaxed for which Tony was very thankful.

Tony chuckled quietly. "Anyway, go ahead, you know the way. There's something sitting on my desk in the lab. Grab it and come back here. You'll know what I mean when you see it. We have some details to work out."

Peter slowly rose to his feet staring at Tony with suspicion. "Now?"

"Yes, now. Geez, kid, not too sharp today, are you?"

Peter began to walk to the elevator in the room. As he walked, he put the lanyard around his neck. Tony couldn't see the teenager's face, but he imagined the stunned look was still plastered on it. As the kid hit the button to bring up the lift, his other hand casually went to his backside giving it a quick rub. Then, probably realizing he was doing it, his hand dropped to his side just as quickly. Tony smirked a little at the action. When the kid entered the lift and turned to face the front, Peter's eyes met his for a brief moment before the door closed. Tony smiled at him as the doors closed.

XxXxspidermanironmanxXxX

Peter's hands flew to his backside once the door closed, blocking him from Tony's view. His butt throbbed like he couldn't believe. He'd been punched, knocked around, tossed like a ragdoll to the ground, and fallen from places his aunt should ever know about; but he'd never been smacked so many times in the same small space in his life. Well, except maybe when he was a little kid but even then his uncle had taken pity on him. Tony had not. Enhanced, accelerated healing be damned, his rear-end ached. Tony had meant business and there was no way in hell Peter ever planned to make the man that pissed off again. It was humiliating and friggen unbelievable. If any of his friends, - and that included his best friend, Ned, - ever found out, he'd literally die of embarrassment.

Peter was still cautiously rubbing his rump as the elevator doors opened revealing the glass doors to Tony's lab. As Peter walked out of the lift, his jaw dropped and he stared in complete amazement and awe at the room behind the glass. Tony's lab was…well, there were no words for it. It was unfathomable. Peter reached for the door handle, and to his amazement, the door opened with ease under his grip. The key fob had done its job without any pomp or circumstance. Peter walked in, not noticing the door close securely behind him. He stopped just inside the door and his jaw dropped in wonderment. It was like no place he had ever seen. It was like no lab he had ever seen or would ever see again. Tony Stark's lab was beyond all known technology anywhere in the known world. The man was a genius.

Three or four AI-enabled robotic assistants worked diligently in the room on some sort of unknown project. They ignored his entrance but Peter noted that they were not cheesy-looking lame designs. Instead, they looked industrial, built for specific functions, and were slightly more plausible as a result. Peter continued to look around noticing Tony's computer-based design tools. He shook his head in awe. It was eye-popping not to mention completely unbelievable. A waist-high table projected 3D holographic images that were testing and tweaking virtual mock-ups of some kind. And in one corner, there was a projection of a gauntlet hovering above the table in suspended animation. Peter walked over and stuck his hand into it to see if it fit him.

"Whoa," he muttered out loud in amazement.

The lab was indescribable and Peter could not believe that Tony had given him unsupervised access to it after everything that had just happened.

Peter stared at his head inside the projection of the gauntlet for several minutes and then yanked his hand out realizing why the projection was still up. Tony Stark had altered the gauntlet so he could use it to…Peter felt his face grow warm. The gauntlet had shooting capabilities and they had obviously been removed. Otherwise, his butt would have been toast. Literally. Peter swiped at the projection in malice hoping to make it go away, and to his surprise, the projection shot across the room and disappeared into nothing.

"Holy shit." Peter's eyes were wide and his heart was pounding in his chest. What had just happened? "Oh, Gawd, what did I do?" Peter cleared his throat, looking at the industrious robotic assistants. "Uh, could you make that come back or something? I'm awfully sorry. I didn't mean to uh toss it away uh…"

Peter's face reddened further when he realized he was talking to machines. What did he expect to happen anyway?

"Voice recognition please," said a loud voice from above him.

Peter jumped, feeling his heart nearly leap from his chest.

"What the hell?"

"Peter Parker, age 15. Tony Stark's intern for Stark Industries. How may I assist you today, Mr. Parker."

Peter's mouth was dry. He attempted to lick his lips to no avail. "Holy hell, Friday. You scared me to death!"

"I apologize, Peter."

"Can you see everything in the whole building, Friday?"

"That is correct, Peter."

Peter willed his racing heart to slow to a canter. "Can you fix that projection thingy of Tony's I swiped away?"

Before Peter's eyes, the projection of the gauntlet reappeared in suspended animation just as it had been when he entered.

"Uh, thanks, Friday."

"You are welcome, Peter. Mr. Stark would like me to remind you to take the item off his desk and return to the common room immediately. There will be time to explore his lab at a later date."

"Uh, yes, ma'am…umm, I mean, ok, Friday."

Peter continued absorbing every nook and cranny of the lab, forcing himself to look at Tony's cluttered desk in the middle of the room. It didn't take him long to spy what the man intended him to fetch. There in all its glorious splendour was his Spiderman suit. As Peter rushed to the desk, he took his suit from the desk and clutched it to his chest. At that moment, everything that had happened in the last 24 hours fled his mind. He had his suit back. Finally.

XxXxspidermanironmanxXxX

Tony grimaced and gritted his teeth as the bitter tasting liquid hit the back of his throat. It burned going down but it felt good. He needed a stiff pick me up after how the evening had gone down. He hadn't allowed himself much, just enough to get him through the next part of the evening. Glancing at his watch, he groaned at how late it was. He'd done some tough love and now he had to finish it. Setting his glass on the bar top, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a watch. It was a gorgeous piece of machinery, and he was proud of its workmanship. The technology was beyond anything of its kind. Peter Parker was about to find out just how pissed off he really was and the kid was not going to be impressed. The 24-hour babysitter was about to become Peter's best friend and the kid was not gonna like it.

A loud sound rang out in the room announcing the elevator's return to the top floor and common area of the tower. Tony popped a piece of mint candy into his mouth, hoping to mask the smell of liquor on his breath. He was by no means drunk, but he didn't want the kid to think he was under the influence in any way. He was stone cold sober sadly enough. It would have been easier to continue this conversation if he was at least a little inebriated. Stone cold sober just made it more painful to imagine the fallout.

The doors flung open and a completely different kid emerged.

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark! Your lab is so cool! I'm so pumped. I'm stoked…like, that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen…well, except for the whole gauntlet thing. Geez, you could have at least hid the fact that you…"

Tony walked up to the kid chuckling. "Calm down, kid before you burst a gasket or something."

"I can't even…do people even realize the tech you have in that place? Like, does Nasa know because wow, I don't think…"

Tony took this opportunity to grasp the excited teen's wrist and attach the watch to it. Peter stopped mid-sentence and gaped at what his mentor was doing. Once in place, the mechanism in the watch locked and flashed a symphony of lights before going dormant.

Peter blinked in bewilderment but looked at Tony, excitement still in his voice. "Is that ever cool, Mr. Stark!"

"Thanks," said Tony standing back to admire the workmanship. "I'm mighty proud of that contraption, and you'll be glad to know that THAT there watch is the only one of its kind in existence."

Peter's mouth formed an awe-inspiring "O". He brought his wrist closer to his face to admire it. "And you're giving it to me, Mr. Stark?"

"Yep."

"Cool," reiterated the teenager in astonishment still staring at the 'gift'. Then, gaining his awareness, he looked up at Tony, "What does it do?"

Tony took a deep breath before continuing. "Introduce yourself, Jocasta."

"I am Jocasta," said the melodious female voice projecting from the wristwatch.

"WOW!" said Peter in complete wonderment. "And you made this for me, Mr. Stark?"

Tony nodded. Now came the more difficult part, he thought. "Jocasta is going to make sure that you stay out of trouble, Pete. She is designed to keep an eye on you 24/7 and report back to me should you do something I would otherwise not approve of."

The colour drained from Peter's face. "W-what? But, Mr. Stark, Karen reports back to you all the time…"

"Karen, as you so affectionately call her, is wrapped."

"Huh?"

"She likes you too much, Pete. I don't know what it is about my A.I's but they always seem to develop an attitude."

Peter looked at his wrist again. "What makes you think I won't take it off?"

"Try it."

Peter walked across the room and dropped his Spiderman suit on the sofa, forgotten for now. He began to attempt to take the watch off to no avail. The longer he tried, the redder his face became.

"What the hell…" muttered Peter, yanking at the watch.

"You might as well give up, Pete. It's not coming off until I take it off and Jocasta does not respond to you, my young friend. She has been programmed to give me updates on your whereabouts anytime I ask her. She will tell me how much you sleep, if you did your homework, if you skipped class and how much you eat."

Peter's face was showing his irritation now. "You can't do that!"

"Oh, yes, I can and believe me, Pete, this is better than the alternative of me kicking your ass every time you step out of line. Frankly, that takes too much out of me. Now listen up, this game is simple. Do what you're supposed to do. Follow the rules and in time, I will replace Jocasta with something similar that you can remove when you want. Piss me off further and you and Jocasta become permanent friends until you're 18. Capische?"

"This is crazy! You can't do this! I have rights, Mr. Stark and this crosses the line."

Tony slowly walked over to the sofa close to where Peter was standing. He reached for the suit casually and flung it at Peter. "Do you like this suit, kid?"

"Well, yah," sputtered Peter catching the suit on reflex.

"You want to keep it?"

"Mr. Stark, that's not even fair."

Tony crossed his arms. "It might not be fair but it's the way it is. I can't trust you to use discernment so I'm taking things up a notch. Jocasta will make sure I know where you are whether you like it or not. Our little agreement still applies and tomorrow you start your internship."

Peter glared at Tony but remained quiet.

"Ok, kid, it's late and I'm tired. C'mon, I'll take you home. I'm sure your aunt must be worried."

"She has a night shift,' mumbled Peter, his voice sounding defeated and weary.

Tony walked towards the lift expecting Peter to follow him but stopped suddenly to face the kid.

"It's not good you're alone so much."

Peter shrugged.

"Okay, change of plans. You crash here. I'll contact your aunt in the morning. Follow me, Pete."

Tony switched gears and led Peter down a long corridor to a guest room. It was the same one Peter had stayed in before. It was loaded with everything a teenage boy could ask for but Tony knew Peter hadn't touched a thing last time. Tony had left it the same. He wasn't offended. Peter was a proud kid, and there was no harm in that. He just hoped that with time the two of them would become friends and not rivals. It used to be that the kid idolized him but something had changed. It certainly didn't help that Tony had kicked the kid's ass earlier.

Stopping outside the door, Tony opened the door and ushered Peter inside. Peter sighed, shaking his head glumly, still clutching his suit.

"I'd rather go home, Mr. Stark, if it's all the same to you."

"It's past 2 am, kid, and you said your aunt isn't coming home tonight. Stay here and we'll eat breakfast together and I'll show you around the lab."

Peter rolled his eyes and dropped the suit on the bed. "Fine."

Tony ignored the attitude and went to leave the room. He stopped briefly. "Are we okay, kid?"

Peter narrowed his eyes but didn't answer.

"Hey, I know you're not too happy about the watch, but I'm talking about earlier. You still pissed at me about that?"

Peter shuffled his feet, a dusty hue flooding his face. "I guess not. I had it coming."

Tony bit back a smirk. "Good night, kid. Sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite and all that kind of jazz."

With those final words, Tony exited the room and shut the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Tony towel-dried his hair, tossing the damp bath sheet onto his bed and grabbed a clean shirt to pull on. He'd gotten a great night's sleep, which was a rare event in his life since the mess in Sokovia, and he was ready to take on the teenage superhero. He hoped that Pete had slept well too but he kind of doubted it. It bothered Tony that the kid spent so much time alone when he aunt was working late. He planned to rectify that soon enough. He knew May Parker was a pediatric nurse, a damn good one from what he'd heard, and since Tony financially supported some of the best hospitals in the world, he planned to get the woman much better hours.

Tony looked in the mirror and ran his fingers through his dark hair; the finger brush would have to do this morning as he planned to cook up a feast. Pepper was away on business for the week and he would be damned if he needed his breakfast catered. Scrambled eggs and bacon were in his future and he felt sure Peter would enjoy them just as much.

As Tony went to leave his bedroom and arouse the kid down the hall, his cell phone rang loudly. With a groan, he reached out to grab it. With everything going on with the UN and the Sokovian Accords, Tony had grown used to business, as usual, every day including Saturday and Sunday. Tony was committed to the accords because it was the only way the Avengers could still operate and not be completely dissolved. Some were better than none, weren't they, no matter what Rodgers thought. At least they had some say with the Accords. He wanted to have a say in how it was done, and he wanted to protect the young ones like Peter, who had the most to lose from them. Tony believed in the Accords, despite the fact it had split the Avengers.

He glanced at his cell before answering it. "Rhodey, where the hell have you been?" he asked, feeling his temper rising. He hadn't heard from his friend in a few weeks and he'd been fearful his best friend had gone rogue and joined Rodger's team of outlaws.

"Relax, Stark, you always seem to forget I have a career outside of the Avengers." Rhodey's voice sounded patient, as it usually was for his friend.

Tony rolled his eyes. "So, you're telling me you were off doing some kind of secret mission for the Air Force, and I didn't know about it?"

"I know this might be hard to believe, Stark, but you don't know everything that happens. Your money doesn't make you the president of United States."

Tony chuckled. "With my money, I don't need to be the president, Rhodes."

Rhodey laughed as well. "Touche. Listen, Stark, as much I love the bantering, I didn't call to play. What the hell is going on with that kid of yours?"

Tony frowned. "What kid of mine?"

Rhodey sighed. "Spiderman. Look, I know you've explained to me a hundred times why you recruited the kid. I get that you knew it was a pretty safe bet that Cap and the gang wouldn't hurt him, but that kid is becoming one hell of a pain in the ass. He's cocky and if he's not careful, he's gonna get snagged into signing the Accords, underaged or not. What is he? Fourteen years old? Do his parents even know about all this shit?"

Tony sat on the bed, suddenly overcome with guilt. Rhodey wasn't saying anything he hadn't already asked himself, but why was his friend calling him now on a Saturday at 8 in the morning? It struck Tony was odd.

"He's not my kid, Rhodey."

"Tones, he's yours now. Congratulations, it's a damned teenager with enhanced abilities. Have a cigar!"

Tony groaned feeling like chucking his cell phone across the room. "Where are you and why are you lecturing me this friggen early in the morning?"

There was a silence on the other end of the line.

"Rhodes?" prompted Tony, thinking it was odd of his friend to pause so suddenly in the conversation.

"Tony, you need to get him under control." Colonel Rhodes voice was quiet.

Tony felt a coldness wash over him. "What's going on, Rhodey?"

A long loud sigh could be heard over the line. "Do you even know where the kid is now, Tony? I thought you were going to keep an eye on him. You said you had things under control and that the kid wouldn't be an issue. Well, my friend, I'm sorry to say, he is a gawddamned issue. Turn on the morning news!"

Tony walked across the room to grab the remote to his television in his room. Switching on the morning news made his jaw drop. The early morning news helicopter had tracked footage of the young web-slinger preventing a collision only to cause another. Police were on the scene, and people were up in arms about the situation, undecided if the webbed crusader had helped or made things worse. Then the story changed to Spidey webbing some early morning cat burglars to the wall.

"Son of a gun," he mumbled and keeping the phone to his ear, he tore off out of the room to where Peter was supposed to be sleeping. He burst into the room to see an empty bed and no sign of the errant teenager.

"Tony?"

Tony closed his eyes and shook his head. "No, no, no. I just talked to the kid last night about this shit. I just busted his ass and we set things straight. I warned him about…"

"Tony?"

Tony ignored Rhodey, who was attempting to get his attention and began to pace the room. What good had it done to smack the kid if he was just going to take off and do his own thing anyway? Hadn't he told the kid to stay put and begin his internship this morning? Who said that corporal punishment worked with kids? What good was it that he'd programmed Jocasta to alert him of just this type of thing? What the hell happened?

"Damn it, Tony, answer me! Are you gonna handle this or am I?"

Tony scrubbed a hand across his face. "Geez, Rhodey, I thought I already had."

"Tony, you brought this damned kid into this and now it's up to you to control him. Letting Ross and the UN drag that boy into the Accords would be nothing short of abusive. As much as I support the Accords, they are much better in theory that they are in reality. That kid has his whole life ahead of him and what right do we have—do YOU have—to take away his identity."

Tony swallowed hard knowing everything Rhodey was saying was the truth. "Okay, okay, I hear you. I've got this."

"Do you want me to pick him up?"

Tony thought a moment. He'd already dragged the kid home recently and it had done nothing to stop him. Maybe a ride with Rhodey and a stern lecture from the United States Air force colonel would be something that would stick. Obviously, nothing Tony had said made a difference to the kid. What the holy hell was it going to take to get through to the kid? Short of a leach, Tony was at a loss.

"Yah. Pick him up and bring him to me. I'll handle it, Rhodes."

"You better, Stark. He's already identified with you. That means he's your responsibility. Are you going to be able to live with yourself if the Accords steal his childhood away? Are his parents ready to deal with this kind of publicity? Hell, I'm not even ready to deal with it. I have a damned good job in the Air Force and while being a superhero is altruistic, I'm still not convinced I can't better in my career. The kid deserves a chance to grow up and decide when he's not being so controlled by his emotions and hormones."

Tony nodded. He heard everything Rhodey was saying. Tony had made a conscious decision to reveal his identity as Iron Man. He'd been a grown adult, capable of making rational decisions. He'd been old enough and wise enough to know the ramifications of such a decision. Peter did not. All Peter saw was that he could help people, and somehow he felt it was his duty to use his gifts to do just that. It was noble. Peter was a good person. A damned good person.

"You're right, Rhodes. Read him the riot act and bring him home."

"Oh, he's gonna get an earful alright." With those final words, Tony heard the line go dead.

Tony chucked his cell phone on Peter's bed. The bed was tousled showing that Peter had tried to sleep at one point. What made the kid decide to leave? Tony grabbed the closest item to him—a book—and pitched it across the room as hard as he could, trying to vent some of his frustration. He wasn't angry at the kid. Tony was discouraged. How could he have been so arrogant to believe that he had gotten through to the kid? After all, hadn't he been the most self-centred kid in the world himself? He should have been able to read the kid.

Tony walked around the room, yo-yo-ing between discouragement and disappointment and then being hit in the gut with remorse and compassion. Peter was a 15-year-old kid whose parents had been ripped away from him at a young age, leaving him to his aunt and uncle to rear. And then fate slapped the poor kid in the face again, stealing his uncle from him when the kid most needed a male role model in his life. Tony was positive that the kid's aunt did her best, but teen boys needed a father figure; they needed a firm hand to lay down the law but also to be there for them unconditionally no matter how much they screw up. Kids needed that kind of security. Peter didn't have that. And as much as Tony had attempted to step into that role, he hadn't earned the right. Peter was shouting that loud and clear. The question was how was Tony going to prove himself to the kid? How was he going to earn the right to be the role model and father figure that they kid so desperately needed? It was going to take a whole hell of a lot more than a spanking to get through to the kid. But what that looked like escaped Tony.

Lost in his thoughts, Tony sat down at the desk in the room and when he looked down, his jaw dropped. He blinked a few times as he picked up some not so random pieces of technology on the desk.

He fingered the wires and remnants of Jocasta.

"Damn, kid. You're smarter than I give you credit for."

From the looks of things, Peter had managed to alter the tracker Tony strapped on his wrist. The kid may not have been able to remove the babysitter, but he was sure was able to do enough damage to shut her down before she could talk. If Tony hoped to stay one step ahead of Peter, he would need to step up his game. He'd underestimated the kid. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

XxXxspidermanironmanxXxX

Peter's ears were still ringing by the time War Machine dropped him off on Tony Stark's doorstep. The man didn't seem content with just unloading him either. Once they landed and Peter's feet were on firm ground, he felt himself being escorted bodily—quite literally dragged- into the building and shoved onto the sofa. Only then did the mask retract and the angry black man step out of his suit. Peter landed with a jolt and looked up in sheepish astonishment.

"You're damned lucky it was me dragging your sorry ass back here and not Captain America. Steve Rodgers is from the thirties, kid, where no one thought twice of taking a belt to a stupid teenager's ass. Right now, I have half a mind to do it myself…"

"Don't waste your time, Rhodey. I already wore him out, and it didn't seem to do one gawddamned thing."

Peter gulped when he saw Tony walk into the common room. Tony looked just as pissed as the Colonel. Suddenly, Peter was second-guessing every single decision he made since Tony left him the night before.

Rhodey walked to Tony's bar and stood to stare at it. "It's not even lunchtime, and I want a drink! What does that say about me?" Rhodey turned and leaned on the bar, a look of total exasperation on his face. "Maybe you didn't do it right, Stark. Maybe I should try my hand at it."

Peter gulped in uneasiness at the direction of the topic. "Uh…h-he did it right," he whispered and then regretted it when Tony shot him a look that said 'keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you', and probably a whole lot of other things that Peter didn't want to know.

Rhodey angrily strode over to Tony and punched him in the shoulder. "This is your fault, Stark. You dragged that damned kid into this when you had no business. Are you nuts?"

Tony rubbed his arm with a feigned expression of insult on his face. "Ow, that hurt," he complained.

Rhodey tossed him an unsympathetic glare. "Shut up, Stark. Damn these friggen Accords. Have you heard from Hawkeye? He's got kids; he'd been able to handle this shit."

Tony sighed, still rubbing his arm absentmindedly. "Clint's oldest kid is what? 8 years old? Pfff, I highly doubt he'd know what to do with a snot-nosed adolescent like Pete here."

Peter shrunk down further into the sofa and pulled off his mask while Tony and Rhodey continued to banter back and forth like a pair of feuding old men. Pete did his best to block out the arguing. There was no point in him listening to it when neither of the men would allow him a word in edgewise. Tony had made it clear that Peter should keep his mouth shut and opinions to himself. Perhaps, the quarrelling would wear both adults out and allow Peter to live to see another day. So far, the conversation had only put him on edge thinking one or both of the men were going to lambaste him into the middle of next week. Tony had already made a show of his authority once, and Peter did not relish another demonstration. After Tony had left him the night before, he had tried to sleep. He made a very honest effort to lie down and put away the events of the day, but he just couldn't. His head kept spinning in circles, going through every single thing that had happened.

Peter had been and still was, very miffed about the tracker Tony had affixed to his wrist. It was an invasion of privacy and frankly, it had also felt like a challenge to him; one that Peter was gladly willing to tackle. If Tony Stark thought Peter wasn't intelligent enough to figure out a wristwatch, the man must have been full of hot air about the internship. All it'd taken was a call to Ned, and between them, they'd manage to disable Jocasta within a couple of hours. Peter might not have been able to take off the tracker but he sure as hell could disable it.

After Ned tried to talk him out of being an idiot and leaving; and after Peter made Ned swear on his life not to alert Tony of his whereabouts, Peter had slipped out the window into the night. To be honest, he hadn't intended on doing anything but slinging around and enjoying the quiet of the early morning. Only trouble was, Peter couldn't help himself. When he saw a chance to help, he took it without thinking. It was what he did. It was who he was. Peter just wished that Tony could understand that without freaking out and thinking that he had to protect him. Peter had survived fine before Tony found out about him, so he knew he could take care of himself. Fate had picked him; he hadn't asked for it.

"Peter!" said a sharp voice.

Peter's head jerked up and he noticed that Tony was alone; Rhodey was nowhere to be seen.

"Do you want some breakfast?"

Peter shook his head. He was hungry but his stomach was churning. Peter was always hungry; he'd grown used to the feeling and could bear it especially when he felt like Tony was one step away from killing him.

"Where did Colonel Rhodes go?" asked Peter so softly that Tony almost didn't hear him.

Tony ran a hand through his still damp hair and sat across from Peter. He stared at the teenager for a minute before answering the question. Peter squirmed under the scrutiny.

"It was best that he left before he assassinated you or something."

Peter visually cringed.

Tony heaved a weary sigh. "So, what now, kid?"

Peter's eyes widened.

"I've tried to be nice. I've tried to sympathize with your life situation. I've busted your butt. I thought I'd created a tracker that couldn't be manipulated by you, but you seemed to master it in a couple of hours; which by the way, kid, was pretty impressive. Jocasta was not an easy program to hack, yet it seemed like child's play to you."

Peter fidgeted. "I kinda got Ned to help…"

Tony chuckled. "I knew that, but I'm sure I'm allowed to kick Ned's butt."

Peter's face reddened but he didn't say anything.

Tony puffed out his cheeks and stood to his feet again. "So, what now, Peter?"

Peter shrugged and looked up at his mentor. "Uh, I couldn't sleep, you gave me back the suit and you never said I couldn't…" he attempted to explain. "And I never broke any of your rules." He added for emphasis.

Tony nodded. He couldn't disagree, and he wasn't angry that the teen had taken off. Oh, Rhodey was pissed beyond all comprehension, but he would get over it if Tony could keep a handle on Peter. Somehow, Tony needed to keep Spiderman under wraps for a while so Rhodey, the rest of the UN and the Accord lovers calmed down and the dust settled a little. The Accord had everyone on edge. Peter could not even begin to understand the ramifications for himself if he kept pushing the envelope. It was up to Tony to do whatever it took to protect him, even if it meant that Peter grew to hate him.

"Okay. I'm going to make bacon and eggs for breakfast, and you and I are going to start your internship." Tony beckoned the boy to follow him as he walked out of the room.

Peter furrowed his brow. "That's it?"

Tony turned to face him. "What's it?"

"You're not going to yell at me for leaving?"

"Did you break the rules or not because if you think you did, I'll be glad to bust your ass?"

Peter shuddered but was silent. He wasn't sure how to take that.

Tony waited with his hands on his hips.

"I never broke your rules," stated Peter quietly but with conviction.

Tony walked towards him purposefully and put a firm hand on the back of his head, essentially pushing the boy forward. "Then c'mon, will ya. I'm starving."

A small smile played on Peter's lips as he dropped his shoulders and followed his mentor out of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Peter could not stop staring around Tony's workshop. The place was beyond extraordinary. Peter felt like he'd been handed the keys to some kind of priceless vault. The technology contained behind the glass doors was incredible. As Tony immediately set to work, Peter wandered around the vast area in dumbfounded bewilderment. There were no words to describe how he felt in the moment. It made his elite private STEM high school look like a kid's play. There was just no comparison.

"Kid, hand me that DIMM?"

Peter spun around on his heel, looking startled. "What?"

"That memory module on the workbench; hand it to me. Geez, kid, how did you manage to deactivate Jocasta if you don't even know what DIMM is?"

Peter grabbed the module and handed it to Tony with a little bit of irritation in his step. "I know what DIMM is," he mumbled, more to himself than to Tony.

Tony chuckled and took the component, bringing up some large screens up in front of him. Peter's eyes grew large as he took in the technology. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before. He was awestruck as he watched Tony input data and then insert the module.

"What are you building?" asked Peter in awe, barely able to find his voice. He wanted to know everything. His brain was whirling in amazement and his heart was pounding with anticipation. It felt like he had been quite literally starved his whole life and was about to be fed for the first time. He was salivating at the possibilities.

"Classified," was all Tony said before swiping away the screen and staring at him. "So, you gonna tell me how you managed to disable Jocasta." Tony reached for Peter's wrist and released the tracker with an irritated look on his face.

Peter snatched his wrist back and massaged it. He couldn't help but feel disappointed in being shut out from Tony's work.

"You don't trust me, do you?" mumbled Peter, dejectedly.

Tony raised a brow. "Why do you say that?"

"'Cause you won't tell me what you're doing?"

Tony grabbed a rag from the bench in front of him and tossed it at Peter. "I trust you, Pete, but right now I'm still kinda pissed…"

"Why? Because I went on patrol?"

Tony shook his head. "No, because you don't seem to get what it means to be inconspicuous. Every time you patrol, you make yourself a sideshow."

"No, I don't, "said Peter indignantly.

Tony took a few steps forward and rested a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Yes, Peter, you do. You have to stop being so damned careless, or I'm not going to be able to protect you. You have no idea how the UN getting their hands on you is going to mess up life for you and your aunt."

Peter looked completely baffled by Tony's words and that only served to make the older man realize just how right Rhodey was and how little the young teen understood. Tony sighed and shook his head. He had no clue how he was going to make the kid understand; maybe he never would. Sometimes, adults just had to protect kids from themselves.

"Never mind. Look, kid, if you expect to be in the know, you're gonna need to earn it. You can start over there." Tony pointed towards one of his suits.

Peter followed Tony's line of sight and landed on some of Tony's old prototypes of his suits. As much as Peter wanted to be annoyed, he couldn't help but be captivated. Old technology or not, Tony's Iron man suits were impressive. Peter walked over and stared at Tony for direction.

"Meet Mark VIII. Extraordinary, isn't it?" Tony walked over and put a hand on Peter's shoulder. He stared at the suit with a look of nostalgia in his eyes. "Dismantle it for me."

Peter's jaw dropped. "What?"

"You heard me, kid. Dismantle it."

"But, why?"

Tony held up a finger. "Yours is not to question why, Pete. Yours is to obey. Hop to it."

Peter stood staring and holding the rag in his hand. He did not even know how to begin such an awesome task, and he still had no idea why Tony would ask him to do such a thing.

Tony went back to work, bringing up screen after screen and tinkering at things that Peter had no idea about. Dum-E and U rushed around after him like dutiful puppies while Tony yelled and scolded them. Peter felt like he was in some kind of lost episode of the twilight zone. He sighed and stuck the rag in his back pocket. Looking at the suit, he strategized the best way to begin dismantling it.

It seemed like only a few minutes had gone by and then suddenly several hours disappeared. Peter had grease on his face and under his fingernails, and the clean cloth Tony had given him earlier was completely grubby. Peter stood up and groaned as he stretched out his back. He took a few steps back and admired his work. The entire suit was completely dismantled and laying in pieces strew across the floor. It was completely and totally fascinating to see how intricate the suit truly was. Peter was so enthralled with his work that he didn't hear Tony come up behind him.

"Good work, kid. Don't think I've ever seen anyone do it quite that way."

Peter startled a little and frowned. "What do you mean?" Peter didn't think there would be any other way to dismantle a suit other than tearing it apart.

"Did you pay attention to how you took it apart?"

Peter ran his dirty hands through his hair and scowled. "Well, no, not exactly. I was more fascinated by figuring out the design capacities. This thing is incredible!"

Tony chuckled. "Let me see your hand, Pete."

Peter furrowed his brow and reached out his hand. Tony captured his wrist and firmly attached the tracker to it once more. Peter glowered at him but remained silent.

"I dare you to figure out that one, genius."

"You serious?" Peter glared at the tracker on his wrist.

Tony put his hands on his hips. "Yeah, I'm serious. Jocasta won't be fooled this time; however, we need to get a few things straight here, Pete."

Peter groaned in anticipation.

Tony ignored the moan and walked across the room, grabbing a couple of water bottles out of the fridge and tossing one towards Peter. The teen caught the bottle of water and drank greedily from it. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was in all his excitement of actually being with Tony Stark in his workshop of all places.

"I meant what I said, Pete. You are officially my first and only intern beginning today. Unless otherwise told, I want to see you here every Saturday for the foreseeable future."

"Every Saturday? Are you kidding me? Tony err, I mean , I have a life, you know."

Tony smiled at the fact that Peter had referred to him by his first name for once. It had been a long time coming and perhaps a shot in the right direction for their relationship.

"Tony is fine and yes, every Saturday. If you show me how responsible you are and if you do well, perhaps Spidey and Ironman can do some patrolling together…"

Peter's eyes widened with excitement. "You mean it?"

Tony chuckled at the kid's enthusiasm. "Yes, I mean it, but there is a catch, Peter."

Peter's eyes darkened. "I knew it," he mumbled and wiped his filthy hands on what used to be a pair of blue jeans.

"You might not understand some of this stuff going on with the Accords, but it's pivotal for the future of persons with enhanced abilities. If we don't cooperate with the powers that be now then they will give us a hard time in the future, and it will become increasingly difficult to work together. We have to be a team. We have to work together for the betterment of society. There are some really powerful and mastermind criminals, Pete, and your generation needs to be the ones that we can count on. Cap and I and the rest of the Avengers aren't going to live forever."

Peter took a long, long gulp of water. "What about Cap? He doesn't agree with the Accords. You told me he's wrong but he thinks he's right. You told me that makes him dangerous. Why is that?" Peter hadn't had a lot of time to chat with Capital America when they were going head to head. He'd always admired the man and had been stoked to have a chance to spar with him.

Tony heaved a loud sigh and walked towards the nearby sofa. The furniture in the workshop was extensive and stylish. Peter wondered why Tony would have stuck such elaborate furniture in a workshop where it was bound to get ruined.

"Pepper has good taste. Not sure why she thinks I need things to sit on in the shop but I guess she could foretell the future. Have a seat, kid." Tony pointed to the large, welcoming oversized chair across from him. Peter glanced at his dirty clothing and his face paled. "Don't worry about your clothes. Pepper tells me this stuff has been sprayed with the best in stain technology so we might as well test that out. As scientists, it's our duty." Tony smirked at him.

Peter sat down.

"Before we get into Cap and his rogue idealism, let's get back to us and the catch."

Peter chewed his bottom lip thinking he wasn't going to like the catch.

"That tracker is there so I can keep an eye on you. If you manage to silence Jocasta again that doesn't mean you get to go, rogue, yourself. If you do, I will bust your ass. Get me, Parker?"

Peter's eyes darkened. "I didn't go rogue."

"Then why did you feel the need to silence the tracker?"

"It was on principle. I wasn't breaking any rules."

Tony crossed his legs and leaned back. "So, you're telling me that you disabled the tracker because of principle?"

Peter fidgeted, "Well, yah. I don't need a babysitter."

Tony threw back his head and laughed. "Kid, if anyone needs a babysitter, it's you. I don't need some stupid adolescent vigilante out there doing whatever he damn well pleases. That's not how things work. And," Tony pointed a finger in his direction looking pissed, "You disabled Karen and then you cast some kind of spell on her…"

"Wait. What? I didn't…"

Tony held up his hand. "Don't worry about it, kid. It's a flaw in my design. For some reason all my AI's end up with a personality all their own. You can't help being who you are. It's all good."

Peter scowled.

"The point is unless you're in danger, I've figured out that Karen isn't going to tell me anything. And it seems like Friday isn't any better. I'm doomed. Maybe I need to create more masculine AI's or ask Vision to watch you, but for now, this works and Jocasta reports to me alone. So, go ahead and try. You won't disable her this time."

Peter rolled his eyes making Tony laugh again. He sat forward and looked more seriously at Peter. "Any questions?"

"What if I do?"

"You won't kid."

"Okay, but let's pretend I do. Are you going to kick my ass?"

Tony shook his head in amusement. "You won't but I'll play along. If you do, I won't kick your ass unless you break the rules or piss me off. Anything else?"

"Yah."

"What?"

"When do I get to meet Cap and the rest of the team?"

Tony stood up. "Whoa, kid. Slow down. You're my sidekick, not the Avengers."

"Who's on your side? And I'm not anyone's sidekick!" He was annoyed at the insinuation.

"There are no sides, Pete." Tony was getting exasperated, not necessarily at Peter but more because he didn't want to have to explain the whole convoluted story to a kid. It was far too painful and truth be known, he already had his own misgivings about everything. Cap was his friend, and he missed him.

Peter stood up as well. "I know I don't know everything about the Accords, but I know you and Cap are still friends. Good friends. I don't believe that this dumb stuff is going to stop you from staying in touch."

"Kid," Tony's voice sounded strained.

"I fought side by side with you, Mr. Stark. I'm not stupid, Cap could have killed me, but he didn't. He was playing with kid gloves, and so were you. I know there is more to this fight than just the Accords."

Tony scrubbed a hand across his face. He was finished with the discussion. "Okay, kid, I'm done talking about this…"

Peter kept pushing further. "Do you know where the rest of the team is? Are you in contact with Cap? I won't tell anyone, Mr. Stark. Please, you've got to tell me."

Tony's last nerve was getting shorter. How he wished Pepper was around. She always managed to keep his temper in check. The last thing he wanted to do was lose it with the kid. The teen had no idea about his parents or Bucky Barnes, and he didn't have the emotional fortitude to explain it. Time had passed and plenty of it. The Rogue Avengers were getting tired of hiding, but they weren't going to back down on the issues. Tony knew that now, and he'd come to respect them for their stance. Surprisingly enough it was Natasha who had managed to change his mind. She missed Clint, and Clint's family was suffering without him. Cap's team didn't know it, but Tony was working damned hard behind the scenes to get the Accords amended, so they all could return home. Tony had long since forgiven Steve Rodgers. Really, all he really needed to do was suck up his pride enough to make the damned phone call. He hadn't had the balls to do that yet. Steve had left messages numerous times. Of course, he had. That was because Steve was friggen perfect which further annoyed Tony. How many times had he just wanted to smack his perfect face and kick his perfect ass? Only trouble was, Tony respected the guy and loved him as his friend.

Tony walked towards his workbench once more and Peter was on his heels. "It's complicated, kid, and I don't really want to discuss it."

"No way; you don't get to shut me down like that!" snapped Peter, his aggravation coming out of nowhere. "You came to me, Stark, remember?"

Tony growled under his breath. There was that attitude again. Peter was able to switch it on as fast as a light switch. What was it about the kid that made him so volatile so quickly? Tony turned and stuck a finger in the kid's face. "Hey, you need to understand something about me, Pete. When I say I don't want to discuss something, then we're done." He waved his finger between him and Peter. "This isn't a peer on peer relationship. We're not team equals. You are a kid. I am an adult. You do what I say and not the other way around. Get me?"

Peter's face reddened and he took a step back. Tony watched several emotions flicker across the kid's face as he took in Tony's words. Tony waited for a response and he was ready. Tony fully expected a fight. It was all Peter had given him since the beginning and he didn't expect anything less.

Peter glared at him but remained quiet.

Tony pointed at his dismantled suit. "Okay, now that we have established the rules yet again, put my damned suit back together."

Peter's brows flew up to meet his hairline. "Wait. What?"

"You heard me, kid. You dismantled it not put it back together."

Peter's face paled and Tony could tell he was taken aback; all thoughts of the Avengers flew from his head. "But, but, I can't. I-I don't remember enough to assemble it again."

Tony frowned. "You're telling me that you took it apart without taking the time to pay attention to how you did it?"

"Well, yah. You never said I had to reassemble it. You just said to take it apart so I did."

Tony put his hands on his hips. "Huh. Okay. Well, so are you religious, kid? I mean do you go to church or something with your aunt on Sundays?"

Peter tilted his head sideways, his face taking on a puzzled expression. "No, why do you ask?"

Tony pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialled. He put the phone to his ear and waited. "Hey there, May. This is Tony Stark calling. Yes, I am standing here with your wonderful nephew and the internship is coming along fantastically, so much so that I'm calling to ask your permission for the kid to stay with me another night."

Peter's jaw dropped as he listened to the billionaire sweet talk his aunt into allowing Peter to stay another night. Tony laid it on thick and from the sounds of the conversation, his Aunt May fell for everything the man said hook, line and sinker, even promising to make sure Peter ate all his greens for dinner and not to let him have any junk food. Peter shook his head in defeat. He knew his aunt was a brilliant woman in every sense of the word, but somehow, she didn't see through Tony's bullshit and neither did anyone else.

Tony ended the call and winked at Peter. "Looks like you have all night, kid. Might as well get started."

Peter looked at the thousands of pieces of dismantled metal on the workbench and floor. There was pretty much no way he'd be able to rebuild the ironman suit to spec. In fact, he'd be lucky to even put it back to together and have it resemble the suit. Taking things apart to see how they work was much easier than reassembling. Peter ran a dirty hand through his hair and looked at Tony with determination.

"Okay, I'll do it, but let's make a bet."

Tony raised a brow, intrigued.

"If I put it back together then you get to tell me what went down between you and Cap."

Tony growled under this breath and puffed out his cheeks. As much as he didn't want to tell Peter anything about things, he wasn't opposed to seeing if the incentive would challenge the kid to reach deeper within him. Peter Parker was intelligent, and when he wasn't being so damned difficult and ruled by his teenage hormones and emotions, he had a lot of potential.

Tony held out a hand. "Okay, kid. Put my suit back together and we'll talk."

 _ **Author's note: Thanks for all the fabulous reviews. So, I've been thinking about this fic, and I'm thinking I want to expand it a little. I'm a busy guy so I don't often have too much time to watch movies. I think I'm behind on Avengers flicks by YEARS! My son recently forced me to have a little Avengers and Captain America marathon...I think I'm inspired to go a little rogue myself in my writing. All that to say that I may be leaving this fic here and taking it into another story. I plan to keep building the relationship with Tony and Peter...that father/son dynamic still needs building and closure but I think I want to bring in a few of the other Avengers as well. I'm not too clear on the storylines yet so I plan to make it AU...make up my own storyline for them. It will take place after Civil War and the Infinity War won't happen in my universe. (I don't have the time to figure out those Infinity stones)**_

 _ **Civil War, though! Wow, what a ride that movie was! I'm intrigued by so many characters...like what happened to Clint? (love Hawkeye...family man...my type of guy!) Natasha? What happened to Wanda? And why the heck did they cast her character so old? That bugged me! From my idea of the storyline, weren't those twins supposed to be teenagers like 15 or 16? Why on earth is the actress an adult close to 30? Captain America called her a kid...and from my idea, she was supposed to be a kid, like not much older than Peter Parker. Did I miss something?**_

 _ **Anyway, stay tuned for a new story from me...not sure of the title or full plot line., but it's a brewing. It's going to continue to centre around Peter and Tony's relationship (because its fun to write!), and I'm going to add a teenage Wanda (because I can) to the mix and maybe some other OC's plus some other Avengers. Tony and Steve need some closure and well, I want to try my hand at patching up the Avengers and fixing these Accords so Cap's team will maybe sign them. I like action but I'm also a "happily ever after" kinda guy. Plus...Tony and Pepper on a break? Are you kidding me? Maybe a little part of me is a romantic too. Shhh...don't tell my wife!**_

 _ **Hope you will stick around...follow me as an Author if you don't want to miss out on my next story.**_

 _ **Don't worry, it will continue from here...**_

 _ **Thanks for reviewing.**_


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